http://www.gminsidenews.com/forums/s...572#post762572
PENNSYLVANIA
Board approves new emissions standards
By Peter Jackson
The Associated Press
HARRISBURG - The state Environmental Quality Board on Tuesday adopted new air-pollution standards that will require new
cars to be cleaner-burning and follow California's requirements as that state fights to impose even more stringent rules in the future.
The action, which requires one more round of regulatory review, would make Pennsylvania the 10th state to tie its standards to California's.
The new smog-reduction rules, which would apply to 2008
vehicles sold in Pennsylvania, are expected to have little or no impact on
vehicle prices or the way they drive.
But if California prevails in a pending legal battle with automakers over proposed greenhouse-gas reductions for 2009 models, that change automatically would be imposed in Pennsylvania and other states that follow California, including New York and New Jersey.
Those standards are expected to increase new-vehicle prices, although proponents and opponents disagree about how much. Automakers say the proposed limits on greenhouse gases would also force them to produce smaller cars with less horsepower.
State officials say the savings from improved mileage that would accompany the greenhouse-gas restrictions would offset any increase in sticker prices.