States sue EPA over global warming
Citing Supreme Court ruling, allies want to force rules within 60 days
MSNBC staff and news service reports
updated 8:56 a.m. PT, Wed., April. 2, 2008

BOSTON - A coalition of states is suing the Bush administration to force it to comply with a Supreme Court ruling that rebuked what justices called inaction on global warming.

The Supreme Court said in April 2007 that carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels is a pollutant subject to the Clean Air Act. The court directed the EPA to determine if carbon dioxide emissions, linked to global warming, endanger public health and welfare.

If that is the case, the court said, the EPA must regulate the emissions.

The 18 states, two cities and 11 environmental groups said in a court filing set for Wednesday that the EPA has not issued a decision on regulation. Their court filing seeks to compel the EPA to act within 60 days.

“The EPA’s failure to act in the face of these incontestable dangers is a shameful dereliction of duty,” said Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley.

The Sierra Club, which is also part of the lawsuit, accused the Bush administration of favoring industry. "While this administration has done everything possible to make a mockery of the rule of law in this country, it’s still stunning that they refuse to yield even to the high court," said Sierra Club climate counsel David Bookbinder.

EPA spokesman Jonathan Shradar said the Supreme Court required the agency to evaluate how it would regulate greenhouse gas emissions from cars and other vehicles but set no deadline.

The EPA plans to include the evaluation in a broader look at how to best regulate all greenhouse gas emissions, not just those from vehicles, he said. Otherwise, a mash of laws and regulations could emerge rather than the “holistic” approach the administration favors.

“We want to set a good foundation to build a strong climate policy of potential regulation and laws we can work toward and actually see some success,” Shradar said.

EPA chief signals go-slow approach
EPA administrator Stephen Johnson last Thursday told lawmakers that the agency would not be rushed into deciding.

Such action "could affect many (emission) sources beyond just cars and trucks" and needs to be examined broadly as to other impacts, he wrote the leaders of the House and Senate environment committees.

Johnson said he has decided to begin the process by seeking public comment on the implications of regulating carbon dioxide on other agency rules that cover everything from power plants and factories to schools and small businesses.

That process could take months and led some of his critics to suggest he was shunting the sensitive issue to the next administration.

"This is the latest quack from a lame-duck EPA intent on running out the clock ... without doing a thing to combat global warming," said Rep. Edward Markey, D-Mass. He is chairman of the House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming.

Johnson said that if CO2 is found to endanger public health and welfare, the agency probably would have to curtail such emissions from other sources as well. That could affect a range of air pollution, from cement factories, refineries and power plants to cars, aircraft, schools and off-road vehicles.

"Rather than rushing to judgment on a single issue, this approach allows us to examine all the potential effects of a decision with the benefit of the public insight," Johnson wrote.

Sen. Barbara Boxer, who heads the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, noted that Johnson has had nearly a year to respond to the court but "now, instead of action, we get more foot-dragging."

"Time is not on our side when it comes to avoiding dangerous climate change. This letter makes it clear that Mr. Johnson and the Bush administration are not on our side, either," Boxer, D-Calif., said in a statement.

EPA staff: Draft rule shelved
Senior EPA employees have told congressional investigators in the House about a tentative finding from early December that CO2 posed a danger because of its climate impact. They said a draft regulation was distributed to the Transportation Department and the White House.

The EPA officials, in interviews with the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, said those findings were put on hold abruptly. Johnson has said that enacting tougher automobile mileage requirements in December meant that the issue had to be re-examined.

The plaintiffs in Wednesday's court action include attorneys general from Arizona, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Pennsylvania, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington and the District of Columbia, plus the city of New York, and the mayor and city council of Baltimore.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23919234/from/ET/

New EPA standards worth the fight

Staff Writer
Article Launched: 03/26/2008 12:00:00 AM MDT

Even on a perfect spring day with a crystal clear blue sky, people in San Juan County often find it easy to spot a cloud in the sky — a cloud of air pollution, that is.

And that could become a problem.

Earlier this month the Environmental Protection Agency announced it will tighten standards on the amount of ozone allowed in the air because hundreds of counties are too dirty.

The new standard permits 75 parts per million of ozone, down from the 80 under the old standard.

Parts of the county will not meet those standards. A Navajo Lake monitoring station produced a reading of 80 ppm in April and October of 2007. Farmington twice rang in at 74 ppm in 2007, while Bloomfield had a high of 71 ppm.

It's not easy to have clean air in the county, considering the industry here that keeps the economy humming right along. The population growth, which correlates into a traffic increase, doesn't make the task of keeping our air clean easier, either.

But we have to try.

It means our two coal-fired power plants — San Juan Generating Station and Four Corners Generating Station — must keep up with the EPA standards.

We give them credit for their efforts so far, but we also must push them to continue using more updated technology as it makes its way into the industry.

We also encourage businesses coming into the county to keep "green" in mind when building new plants, especially like projects such as the proposed Desert Rock power plant. Should the plant be built on the Navajo Nation, it must do its part by keeping its promises of using cleaner technology.

For the average citizen, meeting air standards means trying out a car pool or planning your shopping trips to include the least amount of driving possible.

And with the warm weather approaching, try biking to work or walking to grab a bite to eat on your lunch break.

According to the EPA, ozone levels have dropped 21 percent since 1980 as states and local governments have worked together to improve air quality.

We must keep working on that effort, for the sake of everyone.

Cleaner air can mean less cost in health care, as it can help prevent ailments such as bronchitis and asthma.

We all win when we work to protect our environment.