US Court Stays Calif. Carbon Emissions Lawsuit
Date: 18-Jan-07
Country: US
US District Court Judge Anthony Ishii said California's program to regulate the emissions is pre-empted by the Clean Air Act. He ordered a stay in the case filed over the state's rules until the US Supreme Court reaches its decision. A ruling is expected this summer.
"The term of the stay contemplated here is on the order of six months," Ishii wrote in an order.
The Supreme Court is considering whether state and local governments may force the federal government to regulate carbon dioxide as greenhouse gas pollution.
"We're confident that after the Supreme Court rules, (the Environmental Protection Agency) will follow the law and allow California's historic standards to go forward," said David Doniger, the Natural Resources Defense Council lawyer involved in both the Supreme Court and District Court cases.