Editorial: Clearing the air?

Tuesday, Nov. 20, 2007 | 7:40 a.m.

A federal appeals court has rejected the Bush administration's new fuel economy standards for SUVs and light trucks, saying they don't take into account the carbon emissions of such vehicles and that they fail to set standards for large trucks and SUVs.

In a ruling issued last week, a three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco sought to close what it considered a loophole for SUVs, light trucks and some minivans in standards that are supposed to go into effect next year. The judges asked why such vehicles, which make up half of all vehicles on the nation's roads, were allowed to have miles-per-gallon standards that are more lax than those set for cars.

In addition, the judges directed the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to set fuel economy standards for large pickup trucks and large SUVs - such as the Hummer H2 and Ford 250 series - which have been exempt from such standards.

The lawsuit was filed by nine states, New York City, the District of Columbia and conservation groups that included the Sierra Club and the National Resources Defense Council.

The ruling likely will be appealed, and it is uncertain how the U.S. Supreme Court would decide such a case, but it does illuminate the need to create comprehensive emissions and mileage standards that encompass all vehicles.

At a time when many industries are being asked to help reduce emissions of carbon dioxide - a greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming - it is unreasonable that such emissions from half of all the vehicles on America's roads are subject to little or no regulation.