SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California sued the Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday for denying its first-in-the- nation greenhouse-gas limits on cars, trucks and sport utility vehicles, challenging the Bush administration’s conclusion that states have no business setting emission standards.
Other states are expected to join the lawsuit, which was anticipated after the EPA on Dec. 19 denied California’s request for a waiver, required under the federal Clean Air Act. At least 16 other states, including Colorado, had been expected to follow California’s lead and adopt the state’s tougher emission limits.
EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson said national energy legislation would be more effective than a patchwork of state regulations.
