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News & Analysis | REG•WATCH Blog | Press Room
Monday, May 21, 2007
Governors Tell EPA to Get Out of the Way
Two governors let loose on the Bush administration in an editorial in the Washington Post today. California's Arnold Schwarzenegger and Connecticut's Jodi Rell called for Bush and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to get out of the way and let states put programs in place if the federal government doesn't want to act on global warming. Saying it "borders on malfeasance" to continue to block a waiver California has been seeking for 16 months and which would provide a model for 10 other states, the governors argue that the EPA is blocking the will of millions of citizens who want action. California wants to put in place a program to strengthen tailpipe emissions standards on vehicles resulting the reduction of millions of tons of greenhouse gas emissions.
Not only is EPA sitting on the waiver request (waivers are a common practice used to allow states to enact stronger regulations), but the governors point to Bush's new executive order issued last week that tells EPA and other agencies to study the issue until the end of 2008 and then put forth suggestions for how to solve the problem. "To us, that again sounds like more of the same inaction and denial, and it is unconscionable." They continue: There can be little debate anymore on whether the effects of climate change constitute a looming threat to the public's health and welfare… Whether it is Northeastern states uniting to reduce greenhouse gases from electric generators or Western states looking to reduce emissions throughout the economy, momentum is building everywhere but in Washington. The federal government should not stand in the way of dealing with the most serious environmental challenge facing the world.
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