Calif. Sues EPA Over Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Environmental Law

Calif. Sues EPA Over Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Posted Jan 2, 2008, 05:39 pm CDT
By Molly McDonough

California sued the EPA today after the federal agency rejected the country's first law imposing greenhouse gas limits on automobiles.

The suit in the San Francisco-based 9th Circuit was expected after the EPA on Dec. 19 denied California's bid for a Clean Air Act waiver. The Associated Press reports that 16 other states are expected to join the suit (PDF posted by FindLaw).

The EPA denied the waiver, saying at the time that new federal regulations would be better than a patchwork of state laws.

"There's absolutely no justification for the administrator's action," Attorney General Jerry Brown is quoted saying. "It's illegal. It's unconscionable and a gross dereliction of duty."

The AP quotes the EPA as responding that the Energy Independence and Security Act, which President Bush has signed, "is a more beneficial national approach to a national problem, which establishes an aggressive standard for all 50 states—as opposed to a lower standard in California and a patchwork of other states."

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