The California Senate has passed the first bill in the United States
proposing to limit carbon-dioxide emissions from vehicle exhaust. Senate
Democrats voted 22 to 13 to pass the bill. California already has
stricter vehicle-exhaust emissions laws than the other 49 states.
The politicians ignored fierce objections by global car makers and
their dealers who saw the bill as a backdoor attempt to make them sell
smaller and more fuel-efficient vehicles, the Associated Press has
reported.
AP said the senate-approved legislation now returns to the
Democrat-controlled state assembly for agreement on senate changes and,
if approved, goes to Governor Gray Davis for signing.
The bill would give global automakers until 2009 to begin
restricting their California output of carbon dioxide and would require
the California Air Resources Board to write regulations by January 1,
2005, to limit carbon dioxide from noncommercial cars and light trucks,
AP said.
