For decades, California has gotten waivers in order to enact air quality standards more strict than federal law demands. But this time, for the first time, the Environmental Protection Agency said no. And the reason was that California hadn't given a compelling reason why it should have authority to regulate the tailpipe emissions that cause global warming. State leaders from the Governor to the Attorney General to the Air Resources Board immediately vowed to go to court to get that authority. Meanwhile, Amy Standen went looking for answers about what other options the state can pursue. Turns out, Professor Dan Sperling, director of the Institute of Transportation Studies at UC Davis, has a lot of ideas about that.
You may listen to the "Cutting Tailpine Emissions" radio report online, as well as find additional links and resources.
Amy Standen is a Reporter for QUEST and Radio News at KQED-FM.
latitude: 37.7631, longitude: -122.439