Press Releases
Brendan Daly/Nadeam Elshami
202-226-7616
12/21/2007
Pelosi to EPA Administrator: Decision on California Waiver Will be Closely Scrutinized by Congress
Washington, D.C. – Speaker Nancy Pelosi sent the following
letter today to Stephen L. Johnson, Administrator at the Environmental
Protection Agency concerning his agency’s decision this week to deny the Clean
Air Act waiver requested by the state of California.
“The actions of the EPA in denying the
Below is a text of the letter:
December 21, 2007
Stephen L. Johnson, Administrator
1200
Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Dear Mr. Johnson:
Thank you for your telephone call yesterday concerning your
decision Wednesday to deny the Clean Air Act waiver requested by the state of
As I stated in our conversation, I vigorously disagree with
your rationale for that decision and I strongly support the inquiry into your
decision-making process announced by Congressman Henry Waxman, the Chairman of
the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. In particular, I find implausible your
inference that the passage this week of the “Energy Independence and Security
Act” eliminated the need for the waiver requested by
I reiterate my request that you and your staff respond
quickly and completely to all of Chairman Waxman’s requests for documents
related to this controversial decision which, according to press reports, was
contrary to the advice of EPA’s professional scientific and legal staff.
The actions of the EPA in denying the
best regards,
NANCY PELOSI