STATE PASSES WORLD'S TOUGHEST SMOG RULES.

Byline: Kerry Cavanaugh Staff Writer

California took the lead Friday in the fight against global warming, with state air regulation officials unanimously approving the world's most stringent rules to reduce auto emissions.

Unless the courts block implementation, the regulations approved by the California Air Resources Board will start taking effect in 2009. The goal is to cut carbon dioxide and other tailpipe emissions by 30 percent by 2016, when new cars would need to get at least 44 miles to a gallon and light trucks 27 miles a gallon.

Several states have said they plan to approve similar regulations, while the auto industry has indicated it might fight the standards in court, saying costs to meet them would be prohibitive even if the technology existed.

``It was a historic day,'' said Assemblywoman Fran Pavley, D-Woodland Hills, who authored the greenhouse gas bill that led to the regulations. ``The rest of the world looks to California to set these standards. California takes a lot of pride in leading the way.''

Following a two-day hearing in Los Angeles - which has the nation's worst smog - the board passed proposals requiring automakers to develop technological innovations such as smaller engines and more efficient transmissions.

``California made history today by adopting the most important motor vehicle pollution requirement since the catalytic converter in the 1970s,'' said Roland Hwang, vehicle policy director at the Natural Resources Defense Council.

``The air board's decision will be remembered as a major milestone in the effort to fight global warming.''

Air regulators estimate that the rules will add about $1,050 to the average price of a new vehicle - a cost increase that supporters say would be canceled out by gasoline and operating cost savings.

``This regulation is among the most cost-effective to date, with virtually all the technological improvements paying for themselves before the new-car smell is gone,'' said Louise Bedsworth, senior vehicles analyst with the Union of Concerned Scientists.

Automakers, however, who estimate the increase at $3,000, maintain that the new regulations cannot be met by current technology.

Gloria J. Bergquist, a spokeswoman for the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, said the 2016 standards would require a car to get 44 miles per gallon and a light truck to get 27 miles per gallon.

``It's certainly unreasonable, very difficult, and we don't know if we can achieve this today,'' Bergquist said. ``They are assuming we're going to have some technology breakthroughs to make this happen.''

The alliance has previously said it would likely challenge the rules in court, but Bergquist said Friday that no decision had been made.

The alliance also said the effects of California's regulations would be negligible, reducing the world's greenhouse gas emissions by just one-tenth of 1 percent.

Scientists estimate that California generates 2 percent of the nation's - and 1 percent of the world's - greenhouse gas emissions.

However, the Air Resources Board staff said California's new regulations were just the beginning. New York and New Jersey, along with five other states and Canada, are expected to consider similar rules, which could triple the number of cars required to cut greenhouse gases.

Terry Tamminen, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's secretary of the environment, had urged the board to adopt the rule during its two-day hearing in Los Angeles.

``We can make it clear that, yes, we understand that our contribution, no matter how large or small, makes a difference,'' Tamminen said. ``Every single action that we take - or inaction - makes a difference.''

The greenhouse gas rule is required under a bill sponsored by Pavley and signed by then-Gov. Gray Davis in 2002. Schwarzenegger also supported it.

Heat-trapping greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide and methane, are blamed for a slow increase in global temperatures.

Recent projections, published in the proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, suggest that California's average annual temperature could increase between four and 10 degrees by the end of the century.

That could reduce the Sierra snowpack, upon which California depends for its water supply. The higher temperatures could also lead to worsening smog formed when pollutants react in sunlight.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Kerry Cavanaugh, [phone]

kerry.cavanaugh(at)dailynews.com