In a letter being sent today to President Bush, 11 state attorneys general criticize the president for his failure to impose strong federal measures to limit emissions of greenhouse gases and control global warming. In addition to condemning the “regulatory void” created by the absence of federal action, the letter contends that environmental policies proposed by the Bush administration would worsen climate change and harm the economy. The letter was spearheaded by Massachusetts Attorney General Thomas Reilly, and signed by his colleagues from Alaska, California, Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont — all of them Democrats. Although the letter does not specify desired policy changes, Reilly said the group was seeking, at a minimum, increases in automobile fuel efficiency and caps on carbon dioxide emissions from power plants. According to the Natural Resources Defense Council, power plants account for 40 percent of CO2 emissions and automobiles for 25 percent.
