Legal News

Oversight committee: White House influenced on EPA decision on greenhouse gas waiver

By Jason Siegel

A congressional oversight committee alleged that the White House influenced the Environmental Protection Agency's decision to deny California's tailpipe emissions waiver, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Califomia's petition to adopt stricter standards for greenhouse gas emissions from cars and light-duty trucks. The EPA Under the Clean Air Act, EPA can only deny the request if it is found arbitrary, not technically feasible or unjustified by compelling and extraordinary conditions.

"The record is overwhelming that EPA's experts and career staff all supported granting the
California petition," Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Beverly Hills) told the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee that he chairs on Tuesday (Text of opening statement, WATCH Full Hearing). The House committee has reviewed nearly 60,000 pages of records and interviewed EPA officials in its investigation of the EPA decision.

"Before communicating with the White House, [EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson] supported granting a partial approval to California's request...then the White House intervened...Administrator Johnson ignored the law and the evidence and denied California' s petition," said Waxman.

Johnson told the committee that he was not influenced by the White House (LISTEN).

A bill by Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif) narrowly passed the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee which would effectively approve the California waiver, if passed by Congress. However, Boxer doesn't plan to send to to a full Senate vote, claiming that President Bush would veto it, anyway, CBS 8 reported.

All of the three U.S. presidential candidates said they would grant the waiver, MediaNews reported.

Full post as published by Legal Pad | LA on May 23, 2008 (boomark / email).