Ex-EPA Official Says White House Pulled Rank

Administration Ordered Calif. Emissions Plan Quashed, Former Deputy Testifies Washington Post Staff Writer Wednesday, July 23, 2008; Page A04 A former Environmental Protection Agency official yesterday contradicted EPA administrator Stephen L. Johnson's congressional testimony on one of the administration's key global warming decisions, saying the White House ordered Johnson to block California's bid to regulate vehicles' tailpipe emissions. On Jan. 24, Johnson told the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee under oath that he had made the decision on his own after determining there was no compelling evidence to justify California's plans. "The responsibility for making the decision for California rests with me and solely with me," Johnson said at the time. "I made the decision. It was my decision. It was the right... [read full story]