California's Efforts to Cut Emissions Slowed by Federal Government

By Ed Joyce / Reporter, KPBS Public Broadcasting

Published May 21, 2007 at 12:01 PM PDT

This story was published more than 17 years ago.

California and other states want to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from new cars. But they've been delayed by the federal government. KPBS Reporter Ed Joyce tells us why.

California and other states want to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from new cars. But they've been delayed by the federal government. KPBS Reporter Ed Joyce tells us why.

California has been waiting two years to enforce tougher standards than the federal government has on emissions from new cars and light-duty trucks. Since that time, 11 other states have adopted California's tailpipe standards. But the states need a waiver under the Clean Air Act to move ahead. The state applied for the waiver from the EPA 18-months ago. Jason Barbose is with Environment California .

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Barbose: The states are trying to do the right thing and they're trying to put real solutions to work. In this case, the Bush Administration has been, in the very least, spinning its wheels on this issue. More likely it’s been throwing up deliberate roadblocks to prevent action on global warming.

Barbose says a new study shows the tougher rules would reduce global warming emissions by the equivalent of taking 74-million of today's cars off the road for an entire year. The EPA holds hearings Tuesday and next week on California's request to implement the tougher standards. Ed Joyce, KPBS News.

Ed Joyce

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Ed Joyce was the environment reporter and afternoon news anchor for KPBS-FM. Before joining KPBS, he worked as an editor/columnist with Copley News Service in San Diego. Ed has an extensive background in newspaper, radio, web and TV journalism. After graduating with a B.A. in Communications from the University of Washington in Seattle, Ed began a career in broadcast journalism. His work has included stints in public broadcasting, commercial broadcasting and education -- working as an affiliate professor of communication and reporter at the University of Idaho and Washington State University in Pullman, Wash. During the past 20 years he has worked in radio, TV and print as a news reporter, anchor, writer, editor and producer. Along the way he has won numerous awards for general news reporting, newswriting, feature and issue reporting and breaking news reporting from The Associated Press, The Society of Professional Journalists, San Diego Press Club and other organizations. During the mid-1990s, while working for Oregon Public Broadcasting, he was a frequent contributor to National Public Radio, including a feature report on the memorial service for 14 U.S. Forest Service "hotshots" who died fighting a wildfire in Colorado (the crew was based in a central Oregon town). He’s also filed reports with Marketplace, KQED’s California Report and Climate Watch and with national and regional networks throughout the United States. At KPBS, Ed continues his contributions to National Public Radio and other national and regional news organizations. He has won awards from the Society of Professional Journalists and San Diego Press Club for his environmental reporting at KPBS-FM-TV and for producing and anchoring radio newscasts. In 2007 he was selected a National Press Foundation fellow for Understanding Violent Weather II program. The seminars were held at the National Weather Center in Norman, Okla. In 2008 he spoke at a UC San Diego conference on U.S. National Security as part of the school’s Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation. Ed led a discussion with the 18 foreign government officials and academics about the political debate over climate change. In 2010, Ed was elected to a three-year term on the board of the San Diego Press Club.

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