| Sourced From |
Texas environmentalists sued Tuesday to force the state to regulate carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases as pollutants, which the Obama administration is preparing to do on a national scale.
The lawsuit, filed by Public Citizen in Travis County District Court, cites arguments similar to those that prevailed in a lawsuit by 12 states, not including Texas, against the Bush administration. In that case, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2007 that the federal Clean Air Act required the EPA to consider controlling carbon dioxide as a pollutant.
The Texas lawsuit is believed to be the broadest effort so far to require a state to control carbon dioxide through the permits it grants for power plants, refineries, factories and other industrial facilities. It also comes as Congress considers unprecedented legislation to regulate the U.S.’ human-made greenhouse gases, and as world leaders prepare for a major climate conference in Copenhagen in December.
Texas ranks first among states in human-made greenhouse gas emissions and would rank seventh worldwide if it were a country, according to U.S. and U.N. figures.
Public Citizen says in its lawsuit that state rules not only bar discussion of carbon dioxide or global warming in permit disputes, but “even block the collection of information about CO{-2} emissions in Texas
Related posts:
- EPA expected to act on carbon dioxide regulation: report
- Federal Appeals Court Allows States to Sue Power Companies for CO2 Emissions
- Environmental groups want stricter regulation of carbon dioxide emissions in Wyoming
- Perry says carbon dioxide limits would destroy state’s economy
- Obama makes moves toward uniform federal regulation of carbon emissions from automobiles