The Democrat Attorneys General of eleven US states have written to the US president pressing for strong measures to limit the emissions of greenhouse gases. They argue that in the absence of any firm action from the administration there is a regulatory void in which states have to piece together a patchwork of inconsistent regulations.
The appeal to president Bush came as the Governor of California was scheduled to sign a bill intended to reduce emissions of gases such as carbon dioxide. Approval of the bill will force car manufacturers to produce more fuel-efficient vehicles. If the measure becomes law it is likely to produce similar measures in other states. California has the largest automobile market in the USA.
The Attorneys General criticised the president indirectly for claiming that scientific evidence did not conclusively prove the existence of global warming. They also contended that the administration's environmental policies had made the problems worse by adopting energy policies that would actually increase greenhouse gas emissions.
A spokeswoman for the White House pointed out in response to the letter that the National Governors' Association of the USA had last year rejected mandatory reductions in carbon dioxide emissions, as did the state environmental commissioners in 2000. The president's Clear Skies initiative, the spokeswoman said, would lead to the largest reduction in power plant emissions ever.
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