A lawsuit launched by the state of California could impact on municipal and regional governments throughout the US and possibly even Canada. Watch out Toronto!
California is suing the San Bernardino county for poor planning creating urban sprawl leading to excessive greenhouse gas emissions.
"The California lawsuit, filed in the spring, argues that the 1970 California Environmental Quality Act requires greenhouse gases to be regulated like any other type of pollution. Sixteen states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Guam have similar laws, but no other state has used these laws to sue over global warming.
"If the suit is successful, California cities and counties could be forced to take steps to limit sprawl, promote compact development, require builders to design energy-efficient houses that offer solar power, and encourage less driving, more mass transit and use of alternative fuels."
The report notes that the California lawsuit is being eyed carefully in several other states that have similar environmental legislation.
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