California Sues EPA Over Car Emissions
Reuters reports that the state of California is suing the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) after the agency did not respond to its October 22 deadline for a decision on whether the state could impose stricter car emission standards than the U.S. requirements.
In 2005, California passed a state law that required new vehicles to pass tighter emissions standards before 2009 models were released, but the state needed a federal waiver because the restrictions were more strict than national policy on greenhouse gas emissions.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzeneggar imposed an October 22 deadline for the EPA to comply with California’s new policy, which was extended due to the wildfires that spread through California last month.
Sixteen other U.S. states are looking to enforce similar standards to California, including Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Pennsylvania, Utah and Washington.
The EPA has yet to comment on the lawsuit.
