"Because greenhouse gases fit well within the Clean Air Act's capacious
definition of 'air pollutant' we hold that EPA has the statutory
authority to regulate the emission of such gases from new motor
vehicles," the court ruled.
Led by Massachusetts, a dozen
states along with several US cities and environmental groups went to
the courts to determine whether the agency had the authority to
regulate greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide emissions.
"The harms associated with climate change
are serious and well recognized," said judge John Paul Stevens as the
ruling was carried by five votes in favor to four against.
The
Republican administration of US President George W. Bush has fiercely
opposed any imposition of binding greenhouse limits on the nation's
industry.
Environmentalists have alleged that since Bush came
to office in 2001 his administration has ignored and tried to hide
looming evidence of global warming and the key role of human activity in climate change.
As the issue has come to the fore in the US, the White House earlier
this year issued a rare open letter defending Bush's record on climate
change, rejecting criticisms that he has only recently awakened to the
problem.
Monday's ruling was immediately hailed by
environmental campaigners which has been fighting for greater
regulations in a nation which accounts for a quarter of global
greenhouse gas emissions.
"It is a watershed moment in the
fight against global warming," said Josh Dorner, spokesman for the
Sierra Club environmental group.
"This is a total repudiation
of the refusal of the Bush administration to use the authority he has
to meet the challenge posed by global warming.
It also "sends
a clear signal to the market that the future lies not in dirty,
outdated technology of yesterday, but in clean energy solutions of
tomorrow like wind, solar," he added.
Powered by ScribeFire.
No comments:
Post a Comment