Obama shifts gear on climate change with exhaust emissions move

Published on Monday 26 January 2009 21:05

BARACK Obama began reversing the climate policies of the Bush administration yesterday, clearing the way for new rules to force vehicle manufacturers to produce more fuel- efficient and less-polluting cars.

The United States president told the US Environmental Protection Agency to reconsider immediately a request by California to impose its own strict limits on vehicle carbon dioxide emissions, blamed for contributing to global warming.

George Bush's Republican administration had denied the request, prompting California and other states to sue.

"The federal government must work with, not against, states to reduce greenhouse gas emissions," Mr Obama said at the White House, taking a stab at his predecessor's policies.

"California has shown bold and bipartisan leadership through its effort to 21st-century standards. And over a dozen states have followed its lead."

Mr Obama's directive, which is likely to lead to a formal change in coming months, could prompt as many as 18 states to follow California's lead by putting into effect exhaust emissions standards that are tougher than federal requirements.

The president directed the transport department to move forward and, by March, to set fuel-efficiency standards for cars made in 2011, giving manufacturers 18 months to prepare.