Waxman Subpoenas EPA Documents On California Waiver

House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Henry A. Waxman (D-Calif.) issued a subpoena on Tuesday for the Environmental Protection Agency to turn over documents related to the agency's decision to reject efforts by the state of California to reduce gas emissions from automobiles.

Waxman also questioned the White House’s role in the EPA decision.

“The Committee has found evidence that EPA officials met with the White House regarding California’s motor vehicle regulations,” said Waxman in a statement. “Subsequently, EPA blocked California from moving forward with its landmark program to address climate change. Unfortunately, EPA has refused to disclose the substance and extent of its communications with the White House.”

Waxman said the documents have been “improperly withheld” from the committee, thus a subpoena was his only option and called for the EPA to release over 100 documents.

“The Committee must have these documents in order to understand how the agency’s decision was made.”

The California waiver decisions has become a rallying cry for many environmental activists, after the EPA denied a waiver in December that would have allowed states like California to enact stronger emissions laws for cars than the national standard.

Officials from 18 states have filed numerous lawsuits against the EPA, trying to force the agency to comply with a Supreme Court ruling that rebuked the Bush administration for not doing enough to combat global warming.