ABC News:
For the first time in its history, the U.S. Supreme Court has waded into the political debate on global warming.
Under the Bush administration, the Environmental Protection Agency or EPA has argued that carbon dioxide and the like aren't pollutants under the Clean Air Act, and therefore, the agency has no power to regulate them.
In a sweeping 5-4 decision released Monday, the Supreme Court rejected that position, declaring that Clean Air Act gives the Environmental Protection Agency the authority to regulate the emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases from cars.
"It's an important signal that the Bush administration cannot continue to ignore the problem of global warming for political reasons when the science is so clear and there's such clear pressure from the public to move forward," Josh Dorner, spokesperson for the Sierra Club in Washington D.C told ABC News.
Eleven states filed suit; California, Connecticut, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington State. The suit calls on the EPA to regulate grennhouse gases.
Gristmill has a pretty decent rundown of what the decision means and a good collection of links for more info, so go check that out.
