Mexican Standoff

Feds Will Study Environmental Impact of Mexican Trucks on U.S. Roads

Bowing to a federal court order, the Bush administration announced yesterday that it will study what the environmental impact would be of an increase in Mexican trucks on U.S. roads. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals banned Mexican trucks from the U.S. in response to a lawsuit filed by environmental, labor, and trucking groups, which claimed that the administration had not determined what effect increased emissions from the trucks would have on air quality. The Transportation Department will proceed with a study, which is expected to take 12 to 18 months, even though it is considering appealing the case to the U.S. Supreme Court. Under the North American Free Trade Agreement, Mexican trucks were supposed to have gained full access to U.S. roads starting in 2000.