Sacramento—The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency formally
denied California’s request for a Clean Air
Act waiver of preemption today, blocking the efforts of California and 12 other states that seek to
require automakers to cut pollution from automobile tailpipes.
“The EPA has turned a blind
eye to science, law and the critical role that the states are playing in
tackling global warming,” said Jason Barbose, Environment California Global
Warming Advocate. “If the Bush
administration isn’t going to lead the way on global warming, the least they
can do is get out of the way of states that are taking action.”
In late 2004, California adopted
first-of-their-kind standards requiring cars and light-duty trucks to limit
emissions that contribute to global warming.
Since then, 12 other states—Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts,
New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont,
and Washington—have adopted the tailpipe standards that will cut emissions from
new automobiles by 30 percent by 2016.
At least five other states, including Arizona,
Minnesota and Florida, are moving ahead with adoption of
the program.
The EPA sat for two years on California’s request for
a waiver under the Clean Air Act before EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson
announced in December 2007 that the agency would bar implementation of the
standards. Now, there is evidence that
Administrator Johnson acted against a unanimous recommendation of the agency’s professional
staff.
“The agency’s failure to give
states the go-ahead marks a clear political choice to cater to powerful special
interests rather than moving America
forward in the fight against global warming,” said Barbose.
California and more than a dozen other states have filed suit
against the EPA for failing to heed science and the law in denying California’s request for
a federal waiver of pre-emption under section 209(b) of the federal Clean Air
Act.
In addition,
Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) has introduced legislation (S. 2555) that would
grant the federal waiver for California,
allowing that state and others to move forward with the program. Environment California
applauds Senator Boxer for working to ensure that states like California have the green light to put clean
cars on the road.
