Energy Plan Would Derail States

The first energy plan proposed by Congressional Democrats would kill the state plan they had held up as a forward-thinking model -- the same plan that the Supreme Court recently upheld in an historic ruling. House Democrats would prohibit the Environmental Protection Agency from granting the Clean Air Act waivers that California has requested to set greenhouse gas standards for autos that are more strict than the federal government's rules. Eleven other states plan to follow California's lead, if allowed. The proposal is still in committee, and hasn't yet seen the light of the lawmaking floor. The administration of California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who doesn't shy away from blunt force rhetoric, even against his own party, has blasted the Democrat's plan, and its detractors are growing in number, according to a story in the June 5 San Francisco Chronicle.