California says it plans to sue the Environmental Protection Agency. Governor Schwarzenegger says the EPA has dragged its feet on the state's request to impose stricter auto emission standards. KPBS Environmental reporter Ed Joyce has more.
California wants to adopt cleaner auto emission standards to reduce harmful greenhouse gases. But the EPA has not given the state a waiver to move forward with its plan. At issue is California's desire to implement a law passed in 2002.
The law requires automakers to reduce emissions by 25 percent from new cars and light trucks, and 18 percent from SUV's beginning in 2009. Aaron McLear is with the Governor's office.
McLear : The problem was we've been asking for a long time, over a year now for this waiver and it's not happened. It needs to happen immediately and that's not been the case.
Under the Clean Air Act, the state has the right to set its own vehicle emission standards.
McLear : The U.S. EPA is preventing the rights of California and other states frankly to take actions to reduce greenhouse gases. And the bottom line is if they're not going to act to protect the environment, we'll do so ourselves.
The EPA has set a public hearing for mid-May and a comment that ends June 15. But EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson says there's no timetable for a decision on the waiver request. At least 11 other states have adopted California's tougher standards. Federal law allows the states to choose between federal or California's rules.
California, 10 other states, and the Sierra Club won a Supreme Court case against the Bush Administration earlier this month over the regulation of greenhouse gases.
Ed Joyce, KPBS News.
