New Mexico Challenges Bush Administration's Environmental Policies

According to the Associated Press,

The US Supreme Court will consider whether the Bush administration must regulate carbon dioxide to combat global warming.

The justices will address whether the administration's decision to rely on voluntary measures to combat climate change is legal under federal clean air laws.

Patricia Madrid was one of many AGs around the country to challenge the Bush administration on their historically bad environmental record.

Heather Wilson may not be so pleased to see the Bush administration challenged on...well, anything, but especially environmental issues. You see, Wilson made the League of Conservation Voters' "Dirty Dozen" list. From the Alibi:

Wilson, with an LCV Congressional score of 22 percent this year and a lifetime average of 16 percent, joins fellow Reps. Richard Pombo (CA), Katherine Harris (FL) and Bob Ney (OH), along with Sens. Rick Santorum (PA), Conrad Burns (MT) and Jim Talent (MO).

Referred to as the "Oil Slick Seven" by the LCV, these seven join former Rep. Tom Delay and Rep. Henry Cuellar, both of Texas. The remaining slots are yet to be filled. According to the LCV, all of these representatives and senators are in the pockets of big oil companies.

Maggie Toulouse, Southwest field campaign manager for LCV, says two factors are involved when deciding who makes the Dirty Dozen. First, a consortium of environmental groups from around the country meet and compile politicians' votes for or against environmental issues. If a representative or senator scores "abysmally," he or she becomes a candidate.

Speaking of Maggie Toulouse, kudos to her for being in the story and for bringing my eye to the story from her blog.

One last bit about the EPA Supreme Court hearing from the AP:

President Bush, when first running for president, expressed support for regulating carbon dioxide, but reversed himself shortly after getting into office _ saying he was convinced that voluntary plans to curtail carbon were a better way to go and mandatory regulation would be too expensive for business.

He was against it before he was for it. What a flip-flopper.