Legal News

California to sue EPA to limit pollution from ships, planes and agricultural equipment

By Jason Siegel

California Attorney General Jerry Brown plans to sue the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for failing to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from ships, planes and industrial equipment used in construction and agriculture.

Brown's notice of intent to sue is joined by Connecticut, New Jersey, Oregon, New York City, the South Coast Air Quality Management District and the California Air Resources Board.

In a press release, Brown wrote that he petitioned the EPA to "initiate appropriate regulatory action" several times this year, citing federal law and the U.S. Supreme Court's Massachusetts v. EPA decision. All he got in response was a "pathetically weak" notice on proposed ruling, reads the press release.

If the regulations don't come within 180 days, Brown says he'll sue, claiming the the EPA failed "to make explicit findings that industrial equipment, ships and aircraft emit greenhouse gas pollution that endangers public health or welfare" and failed "to adopt timely regulations to control such emissions."

The release claims that aircraft pollution made up 3% of all the CO2 emissions in 2005, ships the bought fuel in the U.S. emitted 3.9% of the nation's mobile source CO2 emissions in 2006.

"Does Brown Know There's an Election Coming Up?," The Recorder's Cal Law Blog

Full post as published by Legal Pad | LA on July 31, 2008 (boomark / email).