Washington —
Today, the Supreme Court announced a 5-4 decision that the Clean Air Act provides the Environmental Protection Agency with the authority to regulate global warming pollution under the Clean Air Act. This is the first global warming case to reach the High Court. Greenpeace is one of the original petitioners in Massachusetts vs. the Environmental Protection Agency, 05-1120, which calls on the EPA to regulate carbon dioxide as a pollutant and seeks to reduce emissions from new vehicles.
The Bush Administration had argued that EPA lacks the authority to
regulate CO2 as a pollutant, but political pressure has been building
for the Administration to substantively address the issue.
Environmental groups leading this case include Greenpeace, Friends of
the Earth, the Sierra Club and the Union of Concerned Scientists.
In addition, twelve states and three cities are plaintiffs in the case.
Led by Massachusetts, the states include: California, Connecticut,
Illinois, Maine, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode
Island, Vermont and Washington. The cities involved are Baltimore, New
York, and the District of Columbia. The Pacific Island of America Samoa
is also a plaintiff.
“This is a monumental decision by the highest court in the land, a
victory for our environment, and for people everywhere. At a time
when we can wait no longer for action on global warming, this is
exactly the impetus needed to move the administration towards concrete
action,” said John Passacantando, Executive Director of Greenpeace
USA. “This important suit warranted our support years ago, when
we signed on to become one of the lead plaintiffs, and we look forward
to the next steps in this important move forward for our system of
checks and balances,” he continued.
The following experts are available for interview:
John Passacantando, Executive Director of Greenpeace USA, an advocate
for over fifteen years on global warming. He is former
founder/Executive Director of Ozone Action, and holds a master’s degree
in economics.
Chris Miller, climate change expert and global warming campaign leader
for Greenpeace. Prior to his work at Greenpeace, Miller worked for Ben
Cohen, Co-Founder of Ben & Jerry’s Homemade ice cream.
Kert Davies, climate change expert and Research Director for Greenpeace.
Prior, Davies was Director of the Greenpeace Climate and Energy
Campaign in the U.S., coordinating national and state level campaigns
to promote greenhouse gas reductions and renewable energy development.
CONTACT: Jane Kochersperger, (202) 319-2493; (202) 680-3798 cell
