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Klobuchar Hails Obama Decision on Emissions Standards

Says fighting climate change vital to U.S. economy, environment and national security

January 26, 2009

Washington, D.C.  – U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar, member of the Environment and Public Works Committee, released the following statement in response to President Obama’s announcement today that he has directed the Environment Protection Agency to reconsider a request by California and other states, including Minnesota to impose its own strict limits on automobile carbon dioxide emissions.  California, Minnesota and 14 other states sued the federal government last year after the Bush Administration denied their request to be able to implement higher car emissions.

“Allowing states to raise fuel economy standards will go a long way towards reducing our dependence on foreign oil and helping middle class families save money.  Our environment, economy and national security depend on our ability to take aggressive action and today’s announcement by the President is a big step in the right direction.”

At a hearing of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee in early 2008, Klobuchar chastised the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator, Stephen Johnson, for blocking state efforts to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions and failing to discharge its duty to protect the environment.

Minnesota is among sixteen states that have joined California in a lawsuit to overturn the EPA’s decision.

Klobuchar pointed out that courts have held that there is no conflict between new federal fuel-efficiency standards and additional state efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

“The past Administration’s decision to deny California a waiver defied logic, disregarded the law and discounted undisputed science,” said Klobuchar.

Klobuchar serves on the Environment and Public Works Committee, which passed the Lieberman-Warner Climate Security Act, which would provide a cap-and-trade strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 70 percent by 2050. A key provision of that bill was Klobuchar’s “carbon counter’’ proposal, which would establish a national registry of greenhouse gases so that industry has a basis to begin using the cap-and-trade system.

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