Ariz. governor vetoes bill on greenhouse gases

The veto was expected and came three days after the bill reached the Democratic governor's desk following passage by the Republican-led Legislature with a degree of bipartisan support in both chambers.

The California-styled rules already issued by the Department of Environmental Quality are set to take effect this summer after being cleared by a regulatory review council.

The bill would have prohibited those rules unless they were specifically authorized by the Legislature.

Lawmakers backing the bill said they regarded the rules as just the latest in a series of power grabs by Napolitano as she encroached upon the Legislature's policy-making role.

"This bill is not about greenhouses gases. This bill is about separation of powers and whether the citizens of Arizona should have some input in how decisions about our future are made," Rep. Bill Konopnicki, R-Safford, said Monday when the House passed the bill.

Napolitano rejected the criticism, saying that establishing the rules were within the DEQ's authority granted under state law to establish standards for auto emissions.

"While the Legislature has a role in ensuring that Arizonans have clean air to breathe, House Bill 2017 is micromanagement," the governor wrote in her veto letter.

DEQ officials and industry representatives differ on the potential costs the rules would impose on consumers, disagreeing on the effect on vehicle purchase prices and whether increases on that score would be offset by fuel savings.

The bill drew support from industry groups and opposition from conservationists who support the emissions rules.