Blinded by science

She blinded me . . . with science, as that bad 1980s song goes. I was certainly blinded after learning the basis for California's pioneering role in setting emissions standards for cars, trucks, and off-road equipment is scientifically valid, according to a new congressionally mandated report from the National Academies' National Research Council. California's standards -- which are generally stricter than the federal government's -- are still needed because of persistent pollution in parts of the state, said the committee that wrote the report. California's standards also tend to spur the development of better emission-control technologies that benefit the rest of the nation, the committee noted. It did not comment on the state's recent standards for greenhouse-gas emissions because they were adopted while the report was in progress, and because there are no federal standards to which they can be compared. The committee examined emissions standards governing so-called mobile sources, which include cars and light- and heavy-duty trucks; diesel-powered cranes, bulldozers, and tractors; and equipment such as lawnmowers that run on small gasoline engines. The committee concluded that despite the substantial progress in reducing emissions from mobile sources nationwide, more needs to be done to attain federal air-quality standards in many parts of the country. Very interesting. Your comment?