Peter recently gathered the support of over 50 Members of Congress (it was 49 at press time, but the list has since grown!) to fight for Vermont's and other states' right to regulate the global warming impact of auto emissions. Here's what the Associated Press had to say Friday: Welch lobbies for state authority to control vehicle emissions Associated Press Newswires, June 15, 2007 MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) - Rep. Peter Welch is lobbying congressional colleagues to oppose a proposal that would prohibit Vermont and other state from adopting stricter auto emissions standards. Welch, D-Vt., wants to make sure that a federal pre-emption on auto emissions is not part of energy legislation that Congress is expected to take up in July. In a letter to the chairman of the energy committee, Welch and 49 House members said they were concerned that the legislation would take away states' authority to regulate auto emissions. "This proposal would gut the efforts of Vermont and many other states to clean our air and combat global warming," Welch said. Vermont and 10 other states have adopted California's vehicle emissions standards, which are being challenged by auto makers. The first case to go to court was in Vermont, in a 16-day trial that ended last month and is awaiting a ruling from a federal judge.