Eight US states have recently adopted California's tough stance on carbon dioxide and other vehicle emissions.

Massachusetts, Oregon, Connecticut and five others announced last week that they are planning to follow California's decision to require car manufacturers to reduce greenhouse gases by 30 per cent by 2016.

The proposals are expected to further upset car manufacturers, many of whom have filed lawsuits against California's 2004 legislation.

Gloria Bergquist, vice president of public affairs for the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, which heads the lawsuit, told the Washington Post that the proposals would cause confusion in the industry.

"There would be marketplace chaos if each state were deciding which products should be sold within its borders," she said.

Some car manufacturers have proposed a ten per cent reduction of production emissions by 2012, but none have supported the vehicle emission plans.

The US launched mandatory emissions tests across the country at the beginning of the new year in a bid to ensure emissions controls on all vehicles are working properly.


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