Tuesday, June 08, 2004

Another day, another environmental setback. The LA Times reporting that the Supreme Court ruled 9-0 in favor of allowing trucks from Mexico to cross the border, not requiring them to be properly tested for air quality standards. The reason? NAFTA. Apparently, this trade agreement overrules any existing environmental laws and concerns in this country.

In addition, a good point:

Stephanie R. Williams, senior vice president of the California Trucking Assn., which was a plaintiff in the lawsuit, said the trade group was "very disappointed." She said California-based trucking firms were already at a disadvantage because of the high cost of the cleaner-burning diesel sold in the state.

"We use cleaner fuels, cleaner engines and we are required to retrofit our older engines, all of which is very expensive," said Williams. "We can't … compete against people who don't have to do all those things."

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