The LA Times reported today that 10 states were suing the EPA to force them regulate green house gas emissions from coal-fired plants. I'm not sure how far this will get, but we need to push from every possible angle we can to bring climate change into the national consciousness.
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The following story was printed in the
LA Times today.
California and nine other states sued the Bush administration Thursday to force the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from coal-fired power plants, which they said could dramatically reduce global warming.
The other states/cities include: New York, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Wisconsin, the District of Columbia and New York City
I thought this was an interesting if not problematic tack. It seems to easy to actually work. But, here's why the plaintiffs think it should work:
David Bookbinder, senior attorney with the Sierra Club, one of three environmental groups that filed a companion lawsuit, said, "Anyone who can read the plain English words of the Clean Air Act understands that carbon dioxide is a pollutant ... and the act tells EPA unequivocally it must regulate any pollutant related to human health or welfare."
That quote seems confident that they have decent standing on this, but it obviously won't be that easy. There are a lot of powerful groups fighting against comprehensive CO2 regulations, and the law doesn't appear to be that cut-and-dry in our favor.
A three-judge panel ruled last July that the EPA acted properly in rejecting a plea by 12 states, including California, to require reductions in gases linked to global warming. However, lawyers representing the plaintiffs in the latest suit argue that the ruling last year did not fully address the most important legal question: whether greenhouse gases can be regulated under the Clean Air Act.
The EPA issued standards for other air pollutants Feb. 27, but agency officials reiterated that they did not have the authority under the Clean Air Act to regulate carbon dioxide, the primary greenhouse gas affecting Earth's climate.
Reading all of that it doesn't seem likely that the suit will succeed, but raising awareness is really important. With An Inconvenient Truth coming out on May 24, the public may really take notice. This can only help Democrats in November and our world as a whole. It's an important issue that Republicans have chosen to completely ignore, and I applaud these states for taking the initiative to do this. Progressives as always, must lead the way to foster serious solutions to serious problems.
The An Inconvenient Truth website as a lot of ways to make a difference on the Take Action page. Go check it out.