California Air Resources Board and bad science

Author: Damien M. Schiff

Temple of Mut has a good post on the deficiencies in toxic air pollutant regulations put out by the California Air Resources Board (CARB), in conjunction with its Scientific Review Panel (SRP).  Specifically, the post takes aim at the faulty scientific foundations for CARB's landmark 1998 designation of diesel emissions as a significant threat to human health and the environment.  That 1998 designation has formed the basis of recent, draconian emissions regulations that threaten to destroy California's trucking and construction industries.  In response to this regulatory crisis, PLF has filed a lawsuit in California state court challenging the current make-up of the SRP, many of whose members have been "holding over" past their terms for years.  PLF's lawsuit, Brown v. Adams, seeks an order from the court directing that fresh faces be placed on the SRP.  The hope is that new blood may help the SRP, and CARB, recognize that emissions regulations must be based on sound science, to ensure that millions of Californians do not needlessly suffer economic distress.