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Court Orders Stricter Fuel Economy Rules

It throws out US standards for SUVs and minivans

By Zach Samalin,  Newser Staff

Posted Nov 15, 2007 6:01 PM CST
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(Newser) – Environmentalist groups rejoiced today after a federal appeals court struck down upcoming fuel-economy standards for some SUVs, minivans, and small trucks, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. The court ruled that regulators refused to treat carbon dioxide emissions as a serious threat to global warming and ordered the government to review the standards, which would have gone into effect next year.

The standards would have raised minimum mpg requirements from 22.2 to 24.1 by 2011. Eleven states sued, saying that's not nearly good enough. "The court decision is a rebuke to the Bush administration," said the Sierra Club. The decision, however, may be moot if Congress mandates its own standards in the pending energy bill.

A person prepares to pump gasoline into an SUV at a gas station in Newtown, Pa., Wednesday, Nov. 7, 2007. Oil prices stalled in their climb toward $100 a barrel Wednesday after a government report said oil inventories fell less than expected last week while refinery utilization remained flat. The...
A person prepares to pump gasoline into an SUV at a gas station in Newtown, Pa., Wednesday, Nov. 7, 2007. Oil prices stalled in their climb toward $100 a barrel Wednesday after a government report said...   (Associated Press)
FILE PHOTO: California Adopts World's Strongest Auto Emissions Standards
FILE PHOTO: California Adopts World's Strongest Auto Emissions Standards   (Getty Images)
Christopher Kilian of the Conservation Law Foundation, left, and James Moore of the Vermont Public Interest Research Group hold a news conference in front of Federal Court in Burlington, Vt., Tuesday, April 10, 2007. Standing in front of a Ford compact SUV, they say states should have a say in...
Christopher Kilian of the Conservation Law Foundation, left, and James Moore of the Vermont Public Interest Research Group hold a news conference in front of Federal Court in Burlington, Vt., Tuesday,...   (Associated Press)
Cars line up at a stop light in Manhattan in New York City on Thursday, July 21, 2007. If the House goes along with the Senate on stronger fuel economy rules for automakers, the American driver's preference for big vehicles will have to change. U.S. auto industry executives predict...
Cars line up at a stop light in Manhattan in New York City on Thursday, July 21, 2007. If the House goes along with the Senate on stronger fuel economy rules for automakers, the American driver's preference...   (Associated Press)
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US • Green

 
greenhouse gases • global warming • vehicle emissions • fuel economy • US Circuit Court of Appeals • Sierra Club

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