Court sets key dates in lawsuit to force EPA regulation of utilities' CO2 emissions

摘要

After months of legal wrangling, a federal court has set a trial schedule in a major global-warming lawsuit that seeks to force the Bush administration to regulate carbon dioxide emissions from coal-fired power plants. The suit, which was filed by a host of states and conservation groups in April 2006, argues that the Environmental Protection Agency is compelled by the Clean Air Act to regulate power-plant CO2 emissions in order to reduce the threats posed by global warming. The plaintiffs, led by New York and California, say power-plant CO2 emissions are contributing to the "increased intensity of hurricanes," among other things.