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Jun 06 2007
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global warming
• usatoday.com
Photo: Aerial::Houston, TX
by Kris! on flickr.com.
Calif. sees sprawl as warming culprit
By John Ritter, USA TODAY
June 6, 2007
From the page: "In Massachusetts, Gov. Deval Patrick
in April ordered regulators to require developers of
projects large enough to undergo state environmental
review to assess how they contribute to global warming.
In New York, global warming is one of Attorney General
Andrew Cuomo's "top priorities," says spokesman Jeffrey
Lerner. "He's very focused on it. He feels like we need
to do everything we can to address that issue right
away."
The California lawsuit, filed in the spring, argues
that the 1970 California Environmental Quality Act
requires greenhouse gases to be regulated like any
other type of pollution. Sixteen states, the District
of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Guam have similar laws,
but no other state has used these laws to sue over
global warming.
If the suit is successful, California cities and coun-
ties could be forced to take steps to limit sprawl,
promote compact development, require builders to
design energy-efficient houses that offer solar power,
and encourage less driving, more mass transit and use
of alternative fuels.
San Bernardino County officials say they addressed
global warming after the attorney general's office
filed criticisms, but no regulations require them to
do so in growth planning. "The state's making an
example of us to send a message to everyone else
in California," says spokesman David Wert."
