Oregon Public Broadcasting

A year ago, the Supreme Court of the The United States issued a landmark ruling on greenhouse gases.

In a 5-4 vote, the court ruled that greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide, were pollutants and subject to regulation by the Environmental Protection Agency.  But a year later a group of state attorneys general, environmental groups and others say the EPA is ignoring that ruling. Andrew Theen reports.

Oregon, Washington, and California are all parties in the suit  -- which follows on last year's ruling by the Supreme Court putting the ball in the EPA's court. Little has happened in the past year, so the groups now want the EPA to decide within 60 days whether carbon dioxide is a danger to public health.

Hardy Myers: "Everybody in all the states is at risk because of this problem."

That's Oregon Attorney General Hardy Myers.  He has some harsh words for the Bush Administration and the EPA.

Hardy Myers: "I don't think there can be any question that probably the president himself is giving direction on foot-dragging in regard to dealing with the Supreme Court decision regarding the regulating of new motor vehicle emissions."

Myers contends that EPA staffers did file a report that found CO2 to be a danger to health. He says that report stalled at the White House. 

But EPA officials say that was only a draft document, and they are working on a national plan; called the Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, or ANPR.

Jonathan Shradar: "It's kind of a national issue, and we want a national approach, and I think that's the responsibly and right way to go."

That's Jonathan Shradar, he's a spokesman for the EPA.  Shradar didn't describe  the Supreme Court decision in the fondest of terms.  He said it makes no sense to have "a hodgepodge of different regulations at different times."

Jonathan Shradar: "It's not something that is so easily fixed by a political headline, it's about reasoned, analytical steps that we are taking to get to the finish line."

The Los Angeles Times reported that EPA also had drawn up a draft regulation to curb greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles, but that too was stalled after industry lobbyied the White House.

Oregon Attorney General Hardy Myers, who's retiring next year, says the EPA never left the starting line, and time is running out. His possible successors agree.

State Representative Greg MacPherson called climate change the greatest environmental challenge of our times.

Greg MacPherson: "Obviously what's happening is the Bush Administration is resisting the initiatives that have been developed at the state level to press forward on the response to global warming because they don't like it."

MacPherson disagrees with EPA sentiment that climate change is strictly a national and international issue.

Greg MacPherson: "I think all levels of elected officials need to weigh in on this, and particularly when the federal government drags its feet and fails to act, we need to take action at the state level."

Fellow Attorney General candidate and Lewis and Clark professor John Kroger believes the courts will ultimately play a huge role in solving the  climate change crisis.

John Kroger: "Right now Oregon and the Bush Administration have very different values when it comes to protecting the environment, and this is the precise kind of aggressive legal action in the courts that we need if we are going to stop global warming."

Kroger said he was surprised that the EPA "ignored" the Supreme Court ruling.  He says Hardy Myers is doing a good job addressing the issue, but he advocates a regional strategy to combat carbon emissions.

John Kroger: "Whether it's salmon recovery, or ending global warming, we need to have an attorney general who is going to tackle these problems in the courtroom, and I  think Hardy Myers took a very good step today."

Jonathan Shradar with the EPA says climate change is not a partisan issue, and the EPA is trying to "set a foundation" for dealing with climate change.

He did acknowledge that a resolution to the greenhouse gas issue isn't coming soon.  Shradar said it's likely a "significant" part of the decision-making will carry on to the next administration.