Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, today made the following remarks regarding the Environmental Protection Agency's denial of California's petition for a waiver under the Clean Air Act that would allow the state to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from automobiles:

Senator Boxer said: "With Members of Congress leaving town, and with the news on global warming getting worse with each passing day, EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson has delivered the worst possible news to the good people of California and the 12 other states who have proven they are leaders in fighting for the survival of the planet.

It is ironic that this waiver denial comes during the season when we are supposed to work to make our country and the world a better place. And to hide behind the newly-passed Energy Bill as an excuse flies in the face of the Supreme Court's findings and the Energy Bill itself.

This ill-advised denial turns its back on science, turns its back on fairness, turns its back on states' rights, and turns its back on precedent.

I have informed the state of California that I am prepared to take all measures to overturn this harmful decision."

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