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Florida’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has joined a lawsuit filed in February by California seeking to overturn the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) denial of California’s request for a waiver from federal rules in order to enforce state regulations to limit greenhouse gas emissions from cars.

“Florida is making great strides in our efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, taking a leadership role in the growing worldwide movement to reduce the impacts of climate change,” said DEP Secretary Michael W. Sole. “We have recognized that automobiles are one of the major sources of greenhouse gas emissions in Florida, an issue that must be addressed to meet the emission reductions identified by Governor Crist.”

Under the federal Clean Air Act, California has the right to establish vehicle emission standards that are stricter than federal regulations, upon approval of a waiver from EPA. Other states may adopt the California standards if the waiver is granted. On December 21, 2005, California requested a waiver to enact and enforce emissions standards to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from automobiles. On December 19, 2007, EPA denied California’s waiver request. On January 2, 2008, California filed a lawsuit appealing the waiver denial in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. With Florida’s filing, more than 17 states have intervened in support of California’s lawsuit, including: New York, Maryland, Minnesota, Iowa, Massachusetts, Arizona, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.

In Florida, the transportation sector represents about 46 percent of the state’s total carbon dioxide emissions according to DEP’s data. Passenger vehicles alone generate 64 percent of carbon dioxide emissions in the transportation sector or 81 million metric tons. Based on current projections, by DEP, Florida’s total carbon dioxide equivalent will top 420 million metric tons by 2020 — approximately double the amount from 1990.