EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson
WASHINGTON, D.C.- President Barack Obama has requested that Lisa Jackson, newly appointed administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, “assess” whether it was “appropriate” for the agency to deny California the ability to set its own emissions standards for new motor vehicles.
The request was made through a direct memorandum from the president to the administrator.
Under current regulations, the Clean Air Act allows the EPA the ability to set emissions standards for motor vehicles on a national basis. The president reminded the agency that “for decades,” the EPA has granted California waivers to such standards.
The president also added that if California is granted a waiver, “other states may adopt emissions standards for new motor vehicles if they are identical to California’s standards” and comply with other statutory criteria.
Ms. Jackson - sworn in as administrator of the agency on January 26, 2009 - said in a statement regarding her new appointment, that, “As administrator, I will ensure that the EPA’s efforts to address the environmental crises of today are rooted in three fundamental values: science-based policies and programs, adherence to the rule of law, and overwhelming transparency.”
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