As expected, California sued the Bush Administration on Wednesday in an attempt to overturn the EPA's decision not to grant it a waiver allowing the state to impose stricter emission standards for Automobiles. (See Updates, Dec. 29th)
From today's LA Times: The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco, marks a new round in an epic five-year struggle between California and the federal government over whether states have the power to regulate carbon dioxide and other pollutants that cause global warming.
The controversy also spilled into Congress, as Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D-Beverly Hills) prepared to hold hearings on whether the White House and automakers influenced the Environmental Protection Agency's decision, which was required to be based on scientific and legal grounds.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), who chairs the appropriations subcommittee that oversees the agency's funding, on Monday called on the EPA's inspector general to "immediately open an investigation. . . . The thought has occurred that this was a political decision rather than an environmental decision and that cannot be countenanced."
15 other states joined California in the lawsuit: Massachusetts, Arizona, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington. 12 of those states plan to adopt the same standards when and if California is allowed to.
Thursday, January 3, 2008
The Fight for Emissions Standards in California Continues
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Hooray! With 15 other states joining in and hoping to adopt California-style standards, that's a substantial chunk of the Union that's calling the Administration's bluff.
It is good to know that California (and its representatives like Barbara Boxer and Henry Waxman) aren't willing to accept the EPA head's clearly politically-directed decision. Even more heartening is that they are not limiting their investigation to the top levels of the EPA, but are following the trail of crumbs to the obvious sources: automakers and the Administration.
If only the resources were available to investigate every example of the White House and Big Business collusion...
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