Low-carbon Riders

In a move that could have radical implications for the automobile industry, the California Assembly passed a bill yesterday that would make it the first state to regulate carbon dioxide emissions from vehicles as a step toward curbing global warming. Because about 10 percent of the nation's new cars are sold in California, legislation affecting emissions in the state would force significant changes from automakers -- changes that neither industry nor the federal government have been inclined to initiate. The bill will now go to the Democrat-controlled Senate, which is likely to amend it significantly.