For citizens of these targeted states, it will mean long delays and much higher costs in the planning and building of highway projects, water projects and any other kind of municipal or state infrastructure development.

FORBES: The Radical Abuse of the ESA Threatens the US Economy

Nevertheless, Nissan is vulnerable in another way if demand for electric vehicles softens, because Nissan is building a dedicated factory in Tennessee to produce a much higher volume of the Nissan Leaf, starting in 2012.

FORBES: Chevy Volt Battery Fires Threaten All Electric Vehicle Makers, Not Just GM

GoodWoodWatch, a collaboration of local environmental groups and the Canadian branches of Greenpeace and the Sierra Club, has praised Vanoc for using renewable, local lumber in place of building materials like steel, aluminium and plastic, which have much higher carbon costs.

ECONOMIST: The 2010 Winter Olympics