A group of panelists discussed at UCLA on Wednesday the
benefits, drawbacks and policy concerns associated with a new
California Assembly bill aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions
by motor vehicles.
The six panelists included scientists, policy analysts and
lawyers. Each panelist made individual presentations about Assembly
Bill 1493, which was signed by Governor Davis on July 22, 2002, and
other environmental issues, such as alternative fuels, the Kyoto
Protocol, global warming and the costs associated with improving
fuel economy.
AB 1493 requires the Air Resources Board to develop and adopt
regulations to reduce emissions by January 1, 2005, and would apply
to 2009 model year vehicles and after. It covers passenger
vehicles, light-duty trucks, including SUVs, and any other vehicles
used for non-commercial use.
While California leads the country in air pollution, it is also
the leader in regulating automobile air emissions, even pre-dating
Congress in its efforts to reduce air pollution, said Ann Carlson,
one of the panelists and UCLA law professor.
When Congress established federal standards, California was the
only state specifically allowed to set its own, as long as they
were at least as stringent as federal standards, Carlson said
during the event. Since then, California’s standards have
been more stringent than federal regulations, and several states
have adopted California’s instead.
The implications of this, Carlson said, are that bills such as
AB 1493 may affect policy throughout the country.
Law Professor Kal Raustiala of the UCLA Institute of the
Environment said that though the bill may just be a “drop in
the bucket,” people should not look at it that way.
“It’s stimulating debate in the United States about
the (global warming) problem,” Raustiala said.
“That’s a really important step,” he
added.
The panel allowed audience members to learn more about the
bill.
“There are a lot of uncertainties in this
legislation,” said UCLA law Professor Jonathan Zasloff, the
discussion moderator.
Around 100 law students, scientists, policymakers, state
regulators and lawyers attended the panel discussion and
participated in a question-and-answer period at the end.
First-year law student Jonathan Saben said the panel was
“very informative,” presenting “good perspectives
from different disciplines.”
Jonathan Varat, dean of UCLA’s law school, was pleased
with how the panel went.
“I think the panel was quite exceptional,” Varat
said.
“It’s a very complex (issue), and that’s why
you need people addressing it from a lot of different points of
view,” he added.