Another lawsuit was filed on Wednesday by 18 states, three cities and 11 environmental groups that aims to force the EPA to regulate vehicle greenhouse gases within 60 days. The lawsuit comes as a result of the federal government agency’s inactivity in the matter over the last year. Early in 2007, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that, under the Clean Air Act, the EPA has the authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles if it deems they are a danger to public health.
In March, EPA administrator Stephen Johnson went on record to say the EPA will start a lengthy public comment process before passing legislation, and the states, cities and groups have had enough. The lawsuit asks the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit for an order that the EPA makes public the work it did on any public health risk estimates and emission reduction proposals for car makers.
On the flip side of the coin, automakers and their supporters say their industry, while only responsible for 20 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions, is the only one subjected to limits. A lawyer told Automotive News that the EPA has been petitioned to regulate other industries as well, while California’s Attorney General implied a ruling for auto industry would serve as a precedent for regulating emissions elsewhere.
