A federal judge has stepped in to block a regulation requiring all new taxis in NYC to meet a minimum fuel-efficient standard of 30 miles per gallon, Reuters reports. Taxi fleet owners had filed a lawsuit last month to stop the mandate, calling it costly and potentially unsafe, and today U.S. District Judge Paul Crotty granted a preliminary injunction, ruling that the owners had "demonstrated a likelihood of success." The hybrid taxi initiative is a major part of Bloomberg's plan to reduce the city's carbon footprint by 30 percent by 2030. In a statement, the mayor unloaded on Crotty: "The decision is not a ruling against hybrids cabs, rather a ruling that archaic Washington regulations are applicable and therefore New York City, and all other cities, are prevented from choosing to create cleaner air and a healthier place to live." more ›

Taxi fleet owners filed a lawsuit in federal court Monday to stop a fuel-efficiency mandate from going into effect October 1st, the date when all new taxis will need to be hybrid vehicles. Fleet owners' lawyers argue that only the federal government can set rules on fuel efficiency and vehicle emissions. Plus they contend that hybrid cars like the Ford Escape cannot be safely adapted into taxis because they're smaller with limited legroom for passengers, making them more vulnerable in crashes because of their proximity to the partitions. Michael Woloz, a spokesman for the group, tells the Post, "This is a tragedy in the making." Another lawyer for the group declares, "Those partitions are deathtraps." Also, they're expensive to install! more ›