Calif. Sues EPA for 'Wantonly' Ignoring Earth

EPA refuses waiver with 16 states waiting in the wings

(NEWSER) - The Bush administration has refused to allow California and 16 other states to set their own strict standards on tailpipe admissions. EPA chief Stephen Johnson yesterday declined to grant California a federal waiver to impose its own standards on greenhouse gas admissions from vehicles. The other states were poised to follow California's lead. The decision likely means a long court battle. More»

(NEWSER) - The Environmental Protection Agency today granted California the right to set its own strict emissions standards, an about-face from Bush-era policies, Reuters reports. In a sly rebuke to the previous administration, the EPA said the move rested on a “traditional legal interpretation of the Clean Air Act.” California first requested permission to go beyond federal standards in 2005; the waiver was denied in 2008. More»

15 states join fight to limit greenhouse gases from cars and trucks

(NEWSER) - California, joined by 15 other states, filed suit today against the Environmental Protection Agency for rejecting its plan to limit greenhouse gases on cars, trucks, and SUVs. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said the Bush administration is "ignoring the will of millions" by ruling that Congress' recent boost in fuel-efficiency standards makes California's own emissions law unnecessary, reports the AP. More»

Regulators say they can't afford to enforce new standards

(NEWSER) - State regulators are pleading with the Obama administration to hold off on new rules curbing industrial greenhouse gas emissions, fretting that they're too costly for tapped-out budgets. Regulators from Kansas, Pennsylvania, Florida, California, and South Carolina have all chimed in, with varying levels of urgency, the Wall Street Journal reports. Some say the proposal could be easily tweaked to make it more workable; South Carolina, by contrast, predicted chaos, construction delays, and job losses. More»

Agency can regulate greenhouse gases under Clean Air Act

(NEWSER) - It's official: the Obama administration today declared greenhouse gases a threat to public health, which will allow the agency to use the Clean Air Act to regulate emissions without congressional approval, the Washington Post reports. "There are no more excuses for delay," said EPA administrator Lisa Jackson, who will appear at the climate conference in Copenhagen this week. "This administration will not ignore science and the law any longer." More»