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Press EPA to Explain Its Veto
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Progressive Portal
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Jan 14, 2008 19:00 PST
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Urge Administration Johnson to Tell Why He Rejected
States' Bid to Limit Global Warming Pollution
[From Friends of Barbara Boxer]
On Thursday, 10 Jan 2008, the Senate Environment and Public Works
Committee held a field briefing in Los Angeles to investigate why the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rejected California's plan to
regulate greenhouse gas emissions from automobiles. Unfortunately, one
chair at the briefing was noticeably empty: the seat reserved for EPA
Administrator Stephen Johnson.
Johnson forbade California and 18 other states to implement California's
higher emission standard for automobiles -- a key part of the fight
against global warming -- despite the unanimous recommendation of EPA
professional staff. The public deserves to know why.
Two years ago, California filed a waiver request with the EPA, seeking
permission to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from automobiles -- like
similar waivers which have been issued to California 50 times in the
past, and never denied. The agency dragged its feet for two years.
Facing a lawsuit over the delay, Johnson denied the waiver request in
December 2007.
The Bush Administration argues that granting California's waiver request
would establish a complicated "patchwork" of state regulation standards.
But in reality, there are only two standards: the federal standard
(which is the minimum standard) and the California standard, which is
stronger. Fourteen other states have joined California and would use its
higher standard, with four more states intending to join.
The federal government should encourage -- not stymie -- the efforts of
19 states, containing more than half the U.S. population, to fight
global warming.
In 2007, Administrator Johnson told Congress that the EPA needed more
time to make a decision on California's waiver request because it was
"performing a rigorous analysis." However, as reported by the Washington
Post, the EPA Administrator ignored the unanimous advice of the agency's
technical and legal staff, which recommended approval of the waiver.
The Senate Committee asked EPA Administrator Johnson to attend last
week's briefing and explain the veto of California's ground-breaking
regulations. Johnson refused to attend or to send a representative to
explain the ruling.
The Senate committee requested that Johnson release all documents
surrounding the agency's decision; he has failed to respond as of this
writing.
Take Action
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E-mail EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson now, demanding that he release
all the documents about his decision to veto the states' global-warming
regulations and come clean with the American people:
http://ga6.org/campaign/epa_hearing/
More Information
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Washington Post report:
http://tinyurl.com/yut6cv
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