States Ask Supreme Court for Emissions Aid

WASHINGTON – A group of states, cities and advocacy organizations appealed to the Supreme Court on Friday to get involved in a fight with the Bush administration over carbon dioxide emissions from cars and trucks.

The group, which includes 12 states ranging from Maine to California, the cities of Baltimore, New York City and Washington, and the Pacific island American Samoa, was rebuffed last year by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia.

Those judges ruled that the
Environmental Protection Agency acted properly when it rejected a nonprofit group’s petition asking the government to regulate carbon dioxide and other vehicle pollutants that scientists say trap heat in the atmosphere like a greenhouse.

The EPA’s decision was based on an August 2003 opinion from the agency’s top lawyer, who said it lacked the authority to regulate greenhouse gases. That reversed a Clinton administration legal opinion.

AP