Is EPA Playing Dirty With Clean Air Law?

Schwarzenegger, Others To Sue Agency Over Its Denial Of Stricter Auto Emissions Rules

(CBS/AP)  Oregon, Washington and Pennsylvania have already indicated they will appeal the decision.

Maine Governor John Baldacci said the Bush administration is playing an "obstructionist" role in its environmental policies.

In a joint statement, Maryland's Governor Martin O’Malley and Attorney General Doug Gansler accused the Bush administration of "bowing down to corporate interests," and thereby "thwarting the will of the citizens of more than a dozen states and the Supreme Court of the United States.

“While new federal standards on auto emissions are a positive step, the Bush Administration should not prevent states from making even more progress where the federal government has failed to act for so long," they said.

New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine said the EPA decision is "horrendous" and based on "crazy reasoning," while New York Governor Eliot Spitzer called the EPA's decision "incomprehensible" considering current climate change issues.

Kathleen A. McGinty, Pennsylvania's environmental protection secretary, said, "We will litigate and use every other tool at our disposal to reverse President Bush's decision."

White House press spokesman Tony Fratto denied that President Bush had any hand in the decision, saying it was made independently by the EPA, but that the denial of California's clean air law was not a rejection of states rights.

"There's always a balance. And [Mr. Bush] does have a healthy respect for states' rights. But these decisions need to be made in terms of what is best for the country."

Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., told the EPA on Friday that Congress would closely scrutinize its decision to reject the state of California's request to tighten rules on greenhouse gas emissions.

"The actions of the EPA in denying the California request cannot help but raise serious questions about the support of the Bush administration for state efforts to safeguard the environment and the health of their residents," Pelosi wrote in a letter to Johnson.

Rep. Henry A. Waxman, D-Calif., chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, is investigating Johnson's decision, saying it "ignores the law, science and common sense.

"This is a policy dictated by politics and ideology, not facts," he said.

CBSNews.com producer David Morgan contributed to this report.

[antiglobal]

I have to agree with Inventagod. There is never a "national solution" that works as good as it looks on paper. With California leading the way, and 16 other states already on the band-wagon, why shouldn''t we get all 50 states to agree to stricter standards? Considering how polluted California''s air already is, I''ve been kind of shocked that they were the first state to take a stand against Global Warming. I''m even more shocked that Schwarzenegger is going against his entire party to fight for stricter emissions regulations. Hopefully in 2008 (or sooner) a far better president will be elected that won''t be just another pawn in the oil/car industry''s global monopoly scheme.

[inventagod]

A ''National Solution'' is most always a big lie. Nothing ever really happens except at the local level. The EPA is acting as the enforcement arm of Bu$h''s petro-machine. Seems like the oil industry protects the auto industry, and today - the EPA spoke for them both...

The EPA should be required to deport all illegal aliens. While they are in the US they breath out carbon dioxide billions of times per day. Once back in the developing world they can breath freely. As we know CO2 emissions from China, India, Mexico, etc don''''t really count. The world is like a swimming pool that allows urination in only half of it.

Posted by downsteamjim: CO2 doesn''t hover in a great cloud over the country that emits it. And emissions from EVERY country count. When Kyoto was first put together, the economic growth of China and India was just a dream for them. Now it''s a reality, and we''re all able to see what damage it does. We all need to stop pointing fingers at the other guy and take responsibility for OUR actions.

[brianbwb-2009]

Ironic, that Arnie had the popularity to be governor no matter which party he chose, he chose to become a Repubican. Now he acts as if he is dissatisfied that a publicly popular position is rejected by his "party".

It may very well come to pass that "the Collectinator" will collect his hush money from the oil and auto industries, then you will soon hear no more about his dissatisfaction.

[downsteamjim]

The EPA should be required to deport all illegal aliens. While they are in the US they breath out carbon dioxide billions of times per day. Once back in the developing world they can breath freely. As we know CO2 emissions from China, India, Mexico, etc don''t really count. The world is like a swimming pool that allows urination in only half of it.

[pepperp1]

The answer is yes, just like they placed Calif on the ropes when ENRON was wrecking havoc on their State embessling their emergy dollars to subvert their duley elected Govoner, if they wnat to play victim to Bush Cheney again what can we do, their sitting duks the clean air act gives them every right they should ingore Bush and implement their standards let Bush try to stop them. It is time all good women and all good men get off the fence and take back governance from this patsy. And get rid of Issa he is dragging the State down for partisan hackery.

[micma-2009]

To reflect their new mission under his leadership, Bu$h has decided to change the name of the agency from the EPA to the BOPA(Big Oil Protection Agency).

[mrtracker]

This is typical. The Federal government ignores the will of the states, the will of the people, and even their own experts. The corporate interests are more important.

The system is broken, and I''ll be very surprised if congress does anything but pretend to be on the side of the people.

[pepperp1]

What bunk, Calif has this has the right to set this standard get some balls Arnold call the Bush bluff implement the change let him try to sue your State the Clean Air Act is clear.

People wake up your not stupid, you are competent, there is no discussion dont be Bush stooge victim again ignore him he is just a donor pasty not king We the People are the government and it is you and yours who will die when those seas rise and this planet burns with heat. You let him and his hood wink you and drive your real governor out of office with a shell game orchestrated by Ken Lay and get rid of that Izza creep at the same time..

[closethippy1]

Once again everything is meant to be the opposite with Bush and his ilk. War is peace, dirty is clean, protect the Constitution by ignoring it, torture is not torture, etc.
These folks are there to be a pain in the behind and they''re loving every minute of it. They belong to the upper class and so the US belongs to them more than anyone else.
2008 is going to be one long, long year.

[usurhead]

Are those of you that argue against California''s position actually serious? Or, are you just trying to stir up some controversy? Who is doing whose dirty work? Can you read? 16 states, the entire staff of the EPA, and the Supreme Court of the United States vs. one bureaucrat (can you say, "Heck of a job, Brownie"?) & the brilliant cry babies in Detroit, who have demonstrated their competence by driving America''s industrial base straight into the ground, AGAIN! (Doesn''t anybody remember the 1970''s?)

These same Detroit CEO%u2019s, who have cost tens of thousands of your fellow citizens their jobs, who have devastated entire US cities, all while taking hundreds of millions of dollars in executive pay at %u2013 thanks to the GOP %u2013 significantly lowered tax rates; these are the guys you%u2019re siding with? Are you seriously defending the position of an administration that attempted to argue - with a straight face - that C02 is not a pollutant?

Read. Think. Figure it out, and quit being a patsy. These people who have you duped into believing their horse pucky, who have you believing and arguing as if their nonsensical "values" are somehow in league with your own, are not working in your best interests - they''re using you like pawns!

[usurhead]

Are those of you that argue against California''s position actually serious? Or, are you just trying to stir up some controversy? Who is doing whose dirty work? Can you read? 16 states, the entire staff of the EPA, and the Supreme Court of the United States vs. one bureaucrat (can you say, "Heck of a job, Brownie"?) & the brilliant cry babies in Detroit, who have demonstrated their competence by driving America''s industrial base straight into the ground, AGAIN! (Doesn''t anybody remember the 1970''s?)

These same Detroit CEO%u2019s, who have cost tens of thousands of your fellow citizens their jobs, who have devastated entire US cities, all while taking hundreds of millions of dollars in executive pay at %u2013 thanks to the GOP %u2013 significantly lowered tax rates; these are the guys you%u2019re siding with? Are you seriously defending the position of an administration that attempted to argue - with a straight face - that C02 is not a pollutant?

Read. Think. Figure it out, and quit being a patsy. These people who have you duped into believing their horse pucky, who have you believing and arguing as if their nonsensical "values" are somehow in league with your own, are not working in your best interests - they''re using you like pawns!

[jon2012-2009]

California just needs to do what they need to do within their state, but they dont have the guts, they have to have someone else do their dirty work, IE can not reduce their use of gas now, but make the auto manufactures make changes that may help in ten years.
Posted by me97581 at 07:30 AM : Dec 22, 2007

Climate change is at least also a public health issue, if you''re not aware. The increasing concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is by itself harmful to the health of the human population in addition to the other chanllenges of adapting to rising temperatures around the world.

Californians were among the first to ban smoking in the workplace and public areas, weren''t they? That is an example of state government policies that work to reduce the rates of smoking and protect nonsmokers from exposure to carcinogens from cigarette smoke. If you seriously argue the same could have been accomplished by having the people of California show their "guts" to smoke less on their own, you''re full of it. And if you think the federal government will do anything to help Californians pay for the costs of providing medical care for Californians sickened by tobacco, you''re not living on this planet.

[brianbwb-2009]

Is image so important to people that we can''''t get past it to start conserving and doing our part to curb the control of the oil business? Or are we so content to sit behind our tv clicker and moan because the government''''s not accomplishing it?
Posted by RowdyTexan2

Sort of like those who continue to advocate that our soldiers continue to die in Iraq, not for any real reason, but only to show that "we don''t cut and run"...

Actually, the people have been so down trodden that other than the fuel required for necessary travel, not much more can be saved, and if we could manage it, they would simply raise the price of gas again.

Any real change will be a radical one, forced by the imminent collapse of the US economy, with the attendant anarchy, unless we can start right now to implement radical changes in a controlled fashion, mass targeted boycotts, etc...

[rowdytexan2]

I applaud the states for taking the issue in their own hands, when the oil business is lobbying the feds to keep gas guzzlers on the road.

It''s as important to address the country''s dependence on oil. Setting a standard on gas consumption does that. Does a person that lives within a mile of work and only hauls themself really need an 8 cylinder doolie to get there? Is image so important to people that we can''t get past it to start conserving and doing our part to curb the control of the oil business? Or are we so content to sit behind our tv clicker and moan because the government''s not accomplishing it?

[me97581]

Poor MCVet he can not post without calling someone names. My post had nothing to do with states rights or big government, but the California attutude that they must force there problems on the rest of the country. California just needs to do what they need to do within their state, but they dont have the guts, they have to have someone else do their dirty work, IE can not reduce their use of gas now, but make the auto manufactures make changes that may help in ten years.

[spargle]

to Beehive21 - yeah, all that clean air and clean water, safe food - so tiresome! We would be better off like in the olden days when chemical industries ran amok and were able to dump their pollutants wherever and whenver they pleased right? Spread pesticides everywhere and kill off everything that moved or grew. That worked so well. Love Canal, cancer clusters, the Hanford site?? Like Reagan said - they''ll regulate themselves.. HAHAHAHAHA

[mcvet]

EPA,DEA,cost lots of $$$ to the taxpayers,lets us abolish both these runaway monsters,they appear to no longer be in tune with the universe at everyones expense.how do we terminate , stop feeding is the EPA and DEA today..Bush is not the problem he started neither .Hopefully his legacy is ,to help rid the USA of DEA and the EPA.


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Posted by beehive21 at 09:07 PM : Dec 21, 2007
+ report abuse

The DEA I can agree with but the EPA is ABSOLUTELY necessary or the Corporate People will NEVER clean up anything...

[mcvet]

California can reduce their emmisions anytime they want without effecting the rest of the nation, all they have to do is outlaw any personally owned car or truck with over a 4 cylinder engine. If they had the guts to do this California could immediately reduce their polution and the rest of us would not have to pay for the increased MPG mandated to the auto manufactures.

Of course no politician would keep their job, so they have to force someone else to do their dirty work.


Posted by me97581 at 01:22 AM : Dec 22, 2007
+ report abuse

Now you Nazi''s are the FIRST one''s on the "States Rights" Bandwagon when you can do the Toe Tappin Business on the simple minded Red Necks, but let a State want to improve the lot of all the people and you Nazi''s suddenly turn into "Big Government" People. I''ve come to the conclusion that you are about whatever it takes to get YOUR way and the rest of us be damned. Sieg Heil Bush!!

[me97581]

California can reduce their emmisions anytime they want without effecting the rest of the nation, all they have to do is outlaw any personally owned car or truck with over a 4 cylinder engine. If they had the guts to do this California could immediately reduce their polution and the rest of us would not have to pay for the increased MPG mandated to the auto manufactures.

Of course no politician would keep their job, so they have to force someone else to do their dirty work.