Automakers, Green Groups Debate Standards, California's Role at Los Angeles Hearing By Danny King, Contributor California's efforts to continue imposing more stringent greenhouse gas standards than federal rules require continued coming under fire from industry groups Tuesday as the Environmental Protection Agency held the last of three hearings on implementing proposed national standards for average passenger vehicle fuel economy. Ford, Toyota, the Association of International Automobile Manufacturers and the Sierra Club were among the groups whose representatives offered a wide range of opinions during the day-long meeting in Los Angeles. Federal officials are trying to determine how best to reach gas mileage and tailpipe-emissions standards within the next seven years that are about 30% more stringent than they are now. California, which has authority to set its own standards, is in agreement with the federal proposals through 2016 but already has started working on tougher state standards for 2017 and beyond – a move that automakers oppose, claiming that separate state and federal rules will impose severe economic hardships on an already beleaguered industry. Looking Forward So while Tuesday's hearing ostensibly was about present regulations,
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Debate on Fuel Economy and Greenhouse Gas Emissions Regulation Rages On