California denied permission to tighten auto emissions standards
Oregon, which wanted to implement the same restrictions, also gets a "no" from the EPA
Associated Press
WASHINGTON -- The Environmental Protection Agency on Friday justified blocking California from cracking down on auto emissions by saying global warming isn't unique to the state.
The long-awaited analysis drew angry ridicule from environmentalists and officials in California and some of the dozen-plus other states, including Oregon and Washington, that also wanted to implement the greenhouse gas emissions reductions sought by California.
In a 48-page document describing the reasoning behind its December decision, the EPA argues that California doesn't have the "compelling and extraordinary conditions" required for a waiver under the Clean Air Act because the rest of the nation also suffers the effects of global warming.
Environmentalists and California officials disagreed, contending that California has been granted Clean Air Act waivers in the past to deal with problems that are also happening elsewhere, such as diesel pollution.
