Now I see an article where 13 major states want car emission standards that are higher than the Federal requirement. Then the auto makers say that two different standards will raise development costs way beyond what is already required to meet the recently passed CAFE miles-per-gallon standards.
Well it would seem that a compromise could be possible where the states influence an increase in the recently passed CAFE standards and where the auto makers agree.
But no I have a better solution. The 13 states that want tougher auto emission standards could accept the Federal standard but require cars sold in their state to have premium features known to increase efficiency. For instance the 13 states could require all new cars sold in their state to meet Federal requirements but to also have four-valve heads, electronic DIRECT fuel injection, and mechanical variable valve timing. And so here the cost of the car is higher in the 13 states but the manufacturers development cost is not highter since these premium features are already developed but just not included on all cars.
So the politicans should avoid dropping commandments from the sky and promote existing technology that is effective.