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News & Analysis | REG•WATCH Blog | Press Room
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Administration Lobbies to Kill California Emissions Plan
The Bush administration engaged in a broad, multi-agency effort to lobby congressmen and governors to urge them to oppose a California plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, according to a recent investigation.
In December 2005, California petitioned EPA to let the state develop its own program and standards for regulating greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles. Under the Clean Air Act, the federal government holds the express right to regulate emissions but may grant waivers to states, which it often does. If EPA grants California's waiver request, 11 other states could follow suit.
In June, EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson wrote California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger stating EPA would make its decision by the end of 2007. That's two full years after the initial request.
Why so long? Since the Supreme Court decided in April greenhouse gases may be subject to regulation under the Clean Air Act, there is no basis for denying California's petition. Therefore, for an administration which holds environmental regulation in contempt, the only remaining choice is endless delay.
But apparently Johnson's obstinacy was not enough for the Bush administration. An investigation by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee has revealed a coordinated effort to prevent California from pursuing its state regulations. The effort includes Johnson, Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters, and James Connaughton, the Chairman of the White House Council on Environmental Quality.
Committee Chairman Henry Waxman (D-CA) has written to Connaughton. The letter explains the full details of the campaign. Here are some highlights:
Mr. Gros, who was the Deputy Chief of Staff in the Transportation Department, provided details about how the lobbying campaign was conducted. He explained that five Department staffers contacted between 20 and 25 members of Congress. He also said that Secretary Peters personally called between two and four governors.
And this gem:
The lobbying campaign was coordinated with the auto industry. On June 5, the Auto
Alliance provided a list of automotive facilities organized by congressional district to the Department. According to Mr. Gros, the Department then used this document to create a target list of members of Congress to lobby.
Waxman's committee should be commended for its investigation. It couldn't have been easy because, as always, senior administration officials suffer from selective memory loss:
[Council on Environmental Quality] Chief of Staff, Mr. Hall, was asked about the White House role when the Committee staff interviewed him. He did not confirm or deny White House involvement. He said he could not remember specifics. At least twenty times during the interview, he responded to questions about his knowledge of the lobbying campaign with variations of "I don't recall."
Reg•Watch Update: "More on the California Waiver Controversy"
Posted by Matt Madia
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