Environmental Leader

Lisa Jackson, who has been picked by president-elect Barack Obama to head the EPA, signaled that she will move quickly to review California’s request for a waiver from the Clean Air Act to enforce its own vehicle emissions standards, the Mercury News reports.

Last December, out-going EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson overruled California’s request and stated that air permits issued under the Clean Air Act cannot require limits on greenhouse gases (e.g., carbon dioxide) because there are currently no regulations on greenhouse gases.

Other states are also ready to enact the California standard.

Earlier this month, the EPA issued a new rule which makes it easier for facilities to expand their operations without applying for new pollution permits under the Clean Air Act.