EPA officially defends denial of CA request to regulate emissions

California and 18 other states have been waiting patiently for a reason why the EPA denied them emissions waivers even after the government agency's own scientists recommended that the waivers be granted. EPA chief Stephen Johnson finally provided that answer last Friday, which allowed the 19 states' lawsuit against the EPA to move forward. Johnson's basic argument for denying the waiver centered on numbers stating that California's pollution and global warming problem is no greater than that of many other states, and that his decision was based on the facts and the law.
California Attorney General Jerry Brown called Johnson's response "obfuscating, sabotaging, specious, and ill-founded," which we think means that Brown believes Johnson is full of it. We don't have a position on the California vs. the EPA waiver war, but it'd be nice to have just one regulation for all United States whether it's California's standards or that of any other state. That way automakers have but one mark to aim for, and Price is Right doesn't have to mention "California Emissions" when someone wins a new car.

[Source: LA Times]