The Environmental Protection Agency this week granted a waiver of Clean Air Act preemption to California for its greenhouse gas emission standards for motor vehicles. The action taken by the EPA is in response to California’s petition to set strict automobile emission and fuel efficiency standards.

Under Section 209 the Clean Air Act, California has special authority to enact stricter air-pollution standards for motor vehicles than the federal government’s standards. However, California must file a petition with the EPA and meet certain criteria. Other states may adopt California’s standards, but those states’ emissions standards only become effective when California’s petition is granted by EPA.

California’s previous waiver request with the Bush Administration was denied. Soon after President Barack Obama was sworn into office, California officials petitioned the EPA requesting that it reconsider its previous decision to deny the waiver request. Just weeks after California’s renewed request, the EPA ruled that it would reconsider California’s request. This week the EPA officially granted California its waiver.

Governor Jim Doyle (D) this morning signed into law Assembly Bill75, the 2009-11 omnibus budget bill. Here is the Governor’s veto message.

The Wall Street Journal is reporting today that the major climate change bill is heading to a vote this Friday in Congress. The American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 (H.R.2454), or known as Waxman-Markey after the authors of the bill, will cap greenhouse gas emissions at 17 percent of 2005 levels by 2020, and an astonishing 80 percent by 2050. The bill, spanning over 900 pages, contains numerous policies that will drastically change the way energy in the United States is regulated.

The bill seemingly was in trouble when a number of Midwestern Democrats from farm states — that grow vast amounts of corn that can be used for ethanol — objected to certain provisions. It appears as though those issues have been resolved and the bill is poised to pass this Friday.

As noted in the WSJ post, despite the latest compromise, there is still considerable opposition to the bill.