Roll Out the Barrels of Oil

What happens when you can't get apple juice from and orange? You sue the federal government.

The environmental lobby would like the federal government to raise CAFE standards as high as humanly possible (if not higher), forcing manufacturers to increase fuel efficiency. To win the war without fighting a losing battle on Capitol Hill (again, still), the aforementioned Greenhouse Gang decided to attack the new CAFE standards on the basis of CO2 emissions, rather than the fuel economy numbers themselves. Yes it's a distinction without a difference, but hey, you gotta work with what you got.

Only the environmentalists ain't got nothing. CAFE regulations prohibit states from regulating fuel economy. Despite the fact that the California Air Resource Board (CARB) sets tailpipe pollution standards for California, and thus the entire country, the Greenhouse Gang seeks dominion over federal CAFE standards as well. The lawsuit alleges that NHTSA failed to "fully take into account the new standards' impact on the environment and fuel conservation, as required by federal law."

Never take to congress what you can get done in the courts is the lesson here. With gas at $2.69, and Evian at $3, I can see where elitists have a hard time keeping their eye on the ball.