'Lobbying' On Climate Plan Prompts Probe

Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D-California) has launched an investigation into the alleged back room dealings about the California greenhouse gas emission plan. He alleges that a Department of Transportation official inappropriately or illegally lobbied Congress by saying the plan might harm the automobile industry. California is seeking approval from the Environmental Protection Agency to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles, a plan that 11 other states would then follow. The Supreme Court has more or less thrown its weight behind the plan with an historic decision earlier this spring, but there's been no word yet from the EPA about when it will rule on the issue. The DOT official said the resulting patchwork of rules and regulations across the country could harm the domestic auto industry. But Waxman said it's illegal for bureaucrats to lobby lawmakers, touching off the latest front in the ongoing political scuffle over an issue of no small importance, according to a story in the June 13 Los Angeles Times.