California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger presented the U.S. EPA with a six-month Intent to Sue letter, calling "unreasonable" the EPA's delay in moving on his state's request for a waiver to the Federal Clean Air Act. The requested waiver would let California set tougher car and light truck emission standards and continue its leadership role in fighting global warming greenhouse gases (GHG).
The EPA has long tried to claim that it has no authority over greenhouse gas emissions and has been supported by the Bush administration, as well as by the coal, oil, gas and auto industries. The Supreme Court this month decided, in Massachusetts v. E.P.A., that was just wrong and directed the EPA to either regulate GHG emissions or base their refusal to do so on something in the Clean Air Act, rather than the Bush administration's preferences.
"We will move expeditiously, but we are going to be moving responsibly," EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson told the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee during a heated grilling in April.
"It looks like the EPA is trying to drown the waiver process," said Karen Douglas, who directs climate change issues in California for Environmental Defense, according to CNN.
California to sue unless EPA grants waiver - CNN.com
Posted by dougsimpson at April 27, 2007 08:26 PM