Seven US states have filed a joint legal action against the Bush administration for its alleged neglect inregulating carbon dioxide emissions.
Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Maine, Connecticut and Washington claim President George W. Bush administration's current policy regarding carbon dioxide emissions - which they regard as the prime culprit behind global warming - violates the Clean Air Act.
The landmark action seeks to compel the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to revise national regulations governing power plant emissions.
According to the states, the EPA has repeatedly failed to update the nation's air-pollution standards for power plants, despite a requirement from the Clean Air Act that the EPA tests the air's pollutant levels and revise the standards every eight years.
"At a time when the rest of the world is taking steps to reduce CO2 emissions, our nation is not even attempting to slow the growth in emissions," said New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer.
AFP