US high court allows emissions caps in first climate ruling (Roundup)

Apr 2, 2007, 18:39 GMT

Washington - In its first ruling on global warming, the US Supreme Court on Monday said federal and state environmental agencies have the right to introduce mandatory caps on greenhouse-gas emissions, which had been disputed by the United States government.

The court's nine justices were split 5-4 along ideological lines in the case, which pitted an alliance of 12 states, three cities, businesses and environmental groups against an equally imposing coalition of 10 states, nine automakers, utility companies and other businesses.

The case revolved around whether the government's Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has the authority, or even an obligation, to set limits on greenhouse gas emissions, specifically on cars, based on a 17-year-old law passed by Congress on air pollution.

The Supreme Court said that the 1990 Clean Air Act was 'unambiguous' in providing a definition of air pollution that could include the harmful effects of carbon dioxide - blamed for global warming - and therefore gives the government and states the authority to take action to reduce vehicle emissions.

'The harms associated with climate change are serious and well- recognized,' Justice John Paul Stevens wrote for the court, criticizing the EPA for offering a 'laundry list of reasons not to regulate.'

But the court did not rule that the EPA had an obligation to introduce mandatory limits on vehicle emissions, viewing that as a policy decision at the discretion of the agency.

Congress has until now been unwilling to approve mandatory caps on emissions, whether on cars or industry, while the EPA - under US President George W Bush's administration - has argued it has no right to introduce emissions limits. The White House said Monday it will address the ruling.

'We questioned whether we did have the legal authority,' spokeswoman Dana Perino said. 'Now the Supreme Court has settled that matter for us, and we're going to have to take a look and analyze it and see where we go from there.'

Environmental groups voiced hope that Monday's ruling would spur Congress into action, while the ruling also allows states to go ahead with their own mandatory caps on car emissions.

'This is likely to increase pressure on Congress to act quickly on global warming,' Philip Clapp, president of the National Environmental Trust, a plaintiff in the case, said in a statement. 'This is a landmark decision.'

US states - especially in the west and north-east - have taken the lead in introducing mandatory caps on vehicle and industry emissions, prompting many businesses to demand nationwide caps instead of a patchwork of regulations in different states. The Bush administration has until now favoured voluntary initiatives.