Josh Nelson: Many Republicans Unwilling to Negotiate Energy Policy in Good Faith

I have good news and bad news. First, the good news. President Obama has ordered the EPA to revisit the denial of the California waiver . Basically, this means that states will now be allowed to set their own standards for automobile tailpipe emissions. States like California and New York, which wanted to enact higher standards than the federal regulations, have been handicapped by the Bush administration for years. With this announcement, that is set to change. Now the bad news. Some Republicans are throwing a fit, whining about the nature of Federalism and providing misleading information about the cost to automakers. Over at Room for Debate , Jerry Taylor, a Senior Fellow at Cato, almost blew a gasket on Monday, eventually concluding: States have the right to act. But their reach should end where another state's nose begins Is he seriously arguing that it is the proper role of the Federal government to block a popular state policy which would decrease oil imports and improve air ... (link)