[ADEQ Media] Attorney General Goddard, ADEQ Director Owens Sue EPA in Battle for States' Right to Fight Global Warming

[media@lists.azdeq.gov]

Attorney General Goddard, ADEQ Director Owens Sue EPA
in Battle for States' Right to Fight Global Warming

Arizona Joins California and 14 Other States in Suit against the EPA
over Denial of California Vehicle Emissions Standards

PHOENIX  (Jan. 2, 2008) - Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard and
Arizona Department of Environmental Quality Director Steve Owens today
announced that Arizona is joining a lawsuit brought by California
against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to uphold the
right of states to regulate greenhouse gas pollution from automobiles. 

Arizona is part of a 15-state coalition, in addition to California,
seeking to overturn EPA's recent rejection of states' efforts to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions from passenger vehicles. 

"This latest action by EPA to prohibit Arizona and other states from
regulating harmful air pollution emitted from cars is baseless," Goddard
said. "Reducing greenhouse gases is vital to address climate change. In
a landmark ruling last year, the U.S. Supreme Court affirmed that states
have legitimate interests in protecting the health and well-being of
their citizens from the threats caused by those emissions."

ADEQ is in the process of adopting the California standards.  According
to ADEQ Director Owens, ADEQ expects to formally propose a draft rule
adopting the standards within the next few weeks and to have the final
rule approved by early summer at the latest. 

"Vehicle emissions are the largest single source of greenhouse gases in
Arizona," Director Owens said. "If we are going to reduce greenhouse gas
emissions in this state, we have to reduce emissions from automobiles."

Between 1990 and 2005, Arizona's greenhouse gas emissions grew by 56
percent, the fastest rate of growth in the country.  If unchecked,
emissions in Arizona are projected to grow by 148 percent over 1990
levels by 2020 and by 200 percent over 1990 levels by 2040.  Nearly 40
percent of Arizona's greenhouse gas emissions come from vehicles.  

The federal Clean Air Act grants California -- exclusively among all
states -- the power to enact its own air pollution standards for cars.
The Clean Air Act also allows other states to adopt California's
standards.  But California's standards and those of the other states can
only take effect if the EPA grants a waiver exempting California from
federal regulation.   

On Dec. 19, 2007, EPA denied California's request for a waiver,
preventing California and all other states from implementing greenhouse
gas emissions standards for cars. 

California's standards, adopted in August 2005, would reduce emissions
of greenhouse gases from cars by 30% by 2016.  In total, at least 17
other states, including Arizona, have now either adopted or plan to
adopt the California standards.  

Governor Napolitano has directed ADEQ to adopt the California standards
for Arizona.  ADEQ's rule would make the standards effective in Arizona
beginning with the 2011 model year, if the EPA decision is overturned. 

Today's lawsuit by California, which seeks to reverse the EPA decision,
was filed in the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
The states or state agencies intervening in the suit are: Massachusetts,
Arizona, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, New Jersey,
New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental
Protection, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington. 

-30-

News media interested in additional information on this or any other
topic concerning the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality should
contact the Office of Communications at (602) 771-2215 or via email at
communications@azdeq.gov.

**********************************************************************
NOTICE: This e-mail (and any attachments) may contain PRIVILEGED OR 
CONFIDENTIAL information and is intended only for the use of the specific 
individual(s) to whom it is addressed.  It may contain information that is 
privileged and confidential under state and federal law.  This information 
may be used or disclosed only in accordance with law, and you may be 
subject to penalties under law for improper use or further disclosure of the 
information in this e-mail and its attachments. If you have received this e-
mail in error, please immediately notify the person named above by reply e-
mail, and then delete the original e-mail.  Thank you.