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Congress to investigate EPA decision to block clean cars
After Bush-appointed EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson rejected the California waiver that would have given the green light to clean cars programs in 13 states, Congress launched an investigation into the decision. In late Febuary, Sen. Henry Waxman (Calif.) issued a subpoena for EPA documents, and in early March, he threatened to issue another.
Read our press release on the EPA's decision to reject the waiver.
What's at stake
He did it to us again. President Bush and his political appointees take another backward step on global warming in December, when his EPA denied California and 12 other states the right to adopt clean car standards that require automakers to reduce pollution from cars and trucks by 30 percent by 2016.
We're challenging this insane decision in the courts, but that could take years—years we can't afford to wait, given the narrow window of opportunity we have to prevent the worst effects of global warming. That's why we're also pushing the major presidential candidates to pledge to reverse this decision on Day One of the next administration.
Won't Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton or even John McCain do this on their own and in their own time? Maybe. But we've seen before how politicians weaken or compromise once they're elected and once the powerful special interests start to wield their power and influence. We need to get the political winds blowing in the right direction on this issue and we need to make it happen now.
Clean Cars Reports
Tailpipe standards already in place in 12 states would reduce global
warming emissions by nearly 400 million metric tons by 2020 – a
reduction equivalent to taking 74 million of today’s cars off the road
for an entire year, according to a new report released today by the
U.S. Public Interest Research Group (U.S. PIRG). The report comes as
the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) prepares to hold a
public hearing tomorrow in Arlington, Virginia on whether to give
states the green light to reduce global warming pollution from cars and
SUVs.
