If backers of AB 1058 in the Assembly, Senate and The Bee have their way, California motorists soon will pay higher taxes and fees (especially if they drive SUVs, minivans and pickups), a conclusion based on strategies discussed in a joint report by the California Energy Commission and Air Resources Board.

The bill, authored by Assemblywoman Fran Pavley, D-Agoura Hills, has passed both houses of the Legislature and is back in the Assembly for concurrence with Senate action. It would give the ARB responsibility to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from vehicle exhaust, a far cry from the ARB's original mission of policing and reducing air pollution. (CO2, an inert gas that is considered a contributor to global warming, does not contribute to air pollution.) Since AB 1058 doesn't say how ARB should reduce CO2, it effectively would give nonelected bureaucrats carte blanche to push measures that could have significant impacts on tens of millions of Californians who drive, including the possibility of new fees and taxes. The joint report, "Benefits of Reducing Demand for Gasoline and Diesel," which was released in March, does not reflect state policy, but offers a series of approaches to reducing emissions that are currently posted to receive public comment. Some of the report's ideas suggest draconian approaches to reduce greenhouse gases, including:

• Increase gasoline taxes another 50 cents per gallon.

• Tax 2 cents for every mile driven by all passenger vehicles.

• Charge extra fees of $3,500 on minivans, light-duty trucks, and sport utility vehicles to discourage consumers from buying them.

• Lower speed limit to 55 mph.

• Establish a substantial new regulatory bureaucracy that would authorize taxpayer-financed bureaucrats to advocate new taxes.

• Provide possibly illegal delegation of authority to state bureaucrats.

AB 1058's proponents say the CEC-ARB report is unrelated to the bill's imprecise directives. But the two absolutely are linked because, according to auto manufacturers, the only way to address CO2 emissions is to cut gasoline consumption by reducing driving and forcing Californians into smaller, lighter, less-powerful vehicles. Manufacturers say there are no technological devices, catalysts or filters in existence that can be bolted onto vehicles to reduce CO2.

The program envisioned in the CEC-ARB report could cost Californians billions in new fees and taxes with little or no significant impact on the concerns cited in AB 1058. Global warming is a global issue. Since California vehicles contribute only one-tenth of 1 percent of annual global carbon dioxide emissions, unilateral reductions here would have negligible global effects while putting the state at risk for significant economic consequences.

AB 1058 blatantly seeks to force Californians into smaller, less-powerful cars by making popular larger vehicles much more expensive to buy and drive, particularly unfair to low- and middle-income families and working people. Since half of all new-vehicle sales in California are SUVs, minivans, light trucks and other larger vehicles, clearly consumers want these vehicles. That is why a coalition of consumers, taxpayers, motorists, organized labor, large and small business, farmers and others urges the governor to reject AB 1058.