Supreme Court to hear appeal on auto emissions

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Supreme Court said on Monday it would hear an appeal by a dozen states, three cities and a number of environmental groups seeking to force the U.S. government to regulate carbon dioxide emissions from cars and trucks.

The justices agreed to review a U.S. appeals court ruling that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency does not have to regulate the vehicle emissions blamed by most scientists for global warming.

The EPA said in 2003 that global warming has risks, but it could not regulate greenhouse gas emissions because Congress had not granted it authority to do so under the Clean Air Act.

In the appeal, the states, cities and green groups said the issues raised by the case merited Supreme Court review and go to the heart of the EPA's legal responsibilities "to address the most pressing environmental challenge of our time."

They argued that the head of the EPA does have the authority to regulate carbon dioxide and other air pollutants associated with climate change.

The appeal involved Baltimore, New York City and Washington, D.C., along with California, Connecticut, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington.

The Bush administration, ten other states and a group representing electric generating companies opposed the appeal.

Administration lawyers said the appeals court correctly decided in its ruling last year that the EPA lawfully exercised its discretion in refusing to regulate the emissions.

The high court will hear arguments and then issue a decision in the case during its upcoming term that begins in October.