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EPA California decision attacked by politicians & staff |
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The pressure on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is mounting as a new Congress bill seeks to overturn a decision preventing 13 U.S. states from setting own car emission limits. Meanwhile, in a joint letter 10,000 employees accused EPA chief Johnson of abused trust.
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2008-03-11
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The decision to deny California a waiver necessary to enforce strict car emission standards has come under hard attack from different sides, as lawmakers, EPA staff and environmentalists are constantly increasing the pressure on Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) chief Stephen Johnson to overturn his decision. On 6 March, 60 members of the U.S. House of Representatives introduced legislation that would immediately grant California the right to implement a law to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from cars and light trucks by 30% by 2016, thereby also raising fuel economy standards above federal levels. The so-called “Right to Clean Vehicles Act” is already the second piece of legislation addressing this issue, after a similar bill by Californian Senator Barbara Boxer had been introduced in the Senate in January. If enacted, the act would also allow 12 other U.S. States to follow California’s lead and impose own tailpipe emission standards.
"The Environmental Protection Agency's decision defied the science, defied the states, and defied common sense," said Republican Peter Welch of Vermont, a co-sponsor of the bill. Moreover, with oil prices at $106 per barrel, Welch called the overturn of EPA’s waiver denial from December 2007 an “urgent economic issue”, saying that “nothing would do America more good in terms of …economy… than getting better mileage from our cars”. California and a coalition of other states and environmental groups are already suing against the EPA decision.
EPA may withhold “hundreds of documents”
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In a letter sent to EPA administrator Johnson on 10 March, Henry Waxman, chairman of the House Government Reform and Oversight Committee, prompted the agency to come up with an “acceptable voluntary schedule” to produce requested documents that could shed light on the question whether the EPA decision was influenced by the White House. After a series of missed deadlines, the EPA has slowly issued some documents explaining the denial but EPA staff indicated that there may be “hundreds of documents” still being withheld involving the EPA, the White House and the Department of Justice. If Johnson fails to submit requested information, Waxman, investigating the issue, threatened to take “steps to require production of the documents”.
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Pressure grows from inside the EPA
Johnson has also come under fire from inside his agency, as nineteen union local presidents representing more than 10,000 EPA workers signed a letter on 29 February to accuse him of “abuses of our good nature and trust”. Under Johnson’s leadership EPA has ignored jointly developed principles of scientific integrity “whenever political direction from other federal entities or private sector interests so direct”, the letter argues. As a consequence, the EPA unions are withdrawing from a cooperation agreement with the political appointees supervising them over controversies including the refusal to let California set own emission standards “until we receive from you a clear commitment and specific direction”.
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More information:
› H. R. 5560 - Right to Clean Vehicles Act
› Letter Henry Waxman – EPA, 10 March
› Read the article: EPA chief faces growing pressure over car emissions
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