Tomorrow's your chance to sound off and demand real answers, and real information from the top official at the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on an issue that effects us all.

EPA Administrator, Steve Johnson, will be holding a public online interactive forum. According to their website blurb, the EPA wants to, "discuss EPA's efforts to promote clean and dependable energy solutions, including the Change a Light Campaign."

I'm sorry, changing lights you say? Are you kidding me? Our one chance to interact with the head of the EPA, and you think we all want to talk about changing lights?

This is an open forum, and the EPA will no doubt want to spend the time telling us the great job they're doing. Instead, let's demand real answers from the EPA on the delay and foot-dragging in their approval of the State of California's petition to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles.

No excuses, you don't even have to get out of your comfy chair and leave the warm glow of your computer screen.

Here's the information on the online forum:

Date: Thursday, November 1
Time: 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm ET

During the session, you will be able to join the session from this page. Until then, please submit questions for Admininstrator Johnson.

A bit of background:

Since 2002, the State of California has been fighting roadblock after roadblock to bring in tough new greenhouse gas emissions regulations for new vehicles.

And the latest roadblock has been, ironically, the very agency charged with protecting the environment. Instead of protecting the environment, the EPA has been dragging its feet for 22 months on issuing a final decision that would allow the State of California to regulate greenhouse gas emissions for cars, pickup trucks and sports utility vehicles.

It has gotten to the point that the State of California will be filing a lawsuit against the EPA as early as next week.

And if you're not from California, maybe you're from one of the other 11 States that will be joining California in their suit - they are New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington.

Possible questions:

Q: If the EPA is mandated with protecting the environment why would it hold up and delay new regulations being proposed by a State that wants to protect the environment?

Q: Through a lawsuit, the automobile industry has been aggressively blocking the State of California's proposed new greenhouse gas regulations for more than 5 years . Has the EPA in any way been working with the auto industry or their lobbyists while considering their decision to grant the State of California the right to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles?

Q: Last month it was revealed that US Secretary of Transport was involved in the auto industry's efforts to block the State of California's new greenhouse gas regulations for vehicles. Has the Office of the Secretary of Transportation been in contact with your office regarding California's petition?

And here's some more questions that need answers, courtesy of our friends at the Warming Law blog:

Q: When can we expect a ruling on California's application? What does Johnson think of the state's lawsuit?

Q: What has Johnson uncovered in his promised thorough review of public comments? How many citizens agreed with the auto industry and the White House that, for the first time in over 90 requests since the EPA's inception, state innovation ought to be curtailed?

Q: While California and other states are suing the EPA, the State Department has cited their efforts to significantly lower heat-trapping gases (18% by 2020) as positive examples of U.S. action on climate change. Doesn't EPA's failure to give these states a final go-ahead undercut the State Department's diplomacy?

Q: What did Johnson think of the non-partisan Congressional Research Service report concluding that the state has a strong case, and that its position was only enhanced by the Supreme Court's decision in Mass. v. EPA?

Links to other Resources

And here's links to some resources that will help you formulate your own questions:

History of California's attempt to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles

Schwarzenegger to sue Environmental Protection Agency

New Jersey Joins Lawsuit Against EPA

Connecticut to join California global warming lawsuit against EPA

California Gears Up for Car Emissions Fight

Transport Secretary Caught in Lobbying Effort Against California Clean Air

Update: Anyone who submits a question should also
send their question to Deborah Faulkner at the Natural Resource Defense Council, her email is dfaulkner@nrdc.org. They will compile the questions and compare
them to the questions that actually get answered in the online forum.

Should be interesting to see what gets asked versus what gets answered.

They will post the results at http://switchboard.nrdc.org/

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