The White House influenced U.S. EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson to deny California the waiver it needed to regulate vehicle greenhouse-gas emissions, according to evidence presented by the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. An EPA staffer swore under oath that Johnson at first “was very interested in a full grant of the waiver,” then considered a partial OK, but decided on a full denial after communicating with the White House. Toting subpoenaed documents and sworn depositions, committee head Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) concluded in a memo, “The record before this committee suggests that the White House played a pivotal role in the decision to reject the California petition, but it does not explain the basis for the White House intervention.” Johnson has said that the decision was “an independent judgment.” Coincidentally, Johnson is scheduled to appear before Waxman’s committee Tuesday to talk about White House involvement in watering down EPA’s recently announced ozone standards.
