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Johnson said he was considering California's request to implement a law requiring automakers to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in new vehicles. He set May 22 for a public hearing in Washington and June 15 as the deadline for public comment on the state's request. But he declined to say whether he would approve the state's request, drawing criticism from one environmental group. "Icebergs are moving faster than EPA," Karen Douglas, director of the California climate initiative for Environmental Defense, said in a statement.
As to whether the EPA will regulate carbon emissions nationwide, Johnson said the agency must first determine whether greenhouse gas emissions endanger public health or welfare. That remark drew criticism.
"Surely, you acknowledge that global warming does endanger public health," Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) said.
Johnson refused to say whether he considered global warming the No. 1 environmental problem. That rankled Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.). "You astonish me," Whitehouse said.
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http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-greenhouse25apr25,1,7402494.story?coll=la-headlines-nation