California To Enact Fees Funding Host Of Air Quality Programs

The California legislature late on Aug. 27 approved a bill, pushed by a broad coalition of government and industry officials and environmentalists, seeking to generate about $80 million annually through fees to fund a host of air quality programs. California EPA is a major backer of the measure and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) is expected to sign it into state law. But automobile dealers and rubber manufacturers are questioning whether the new fees contained in the proposal are actually taxes...