States Appeal Federal Ruling Dismissing Carbon Dioxide As Pollutant

The case has big potential implications for numerous federal and state programs under the Clean Air Act, as well as for the auto industry. Along with other forms of transportation, motor vehicles account for about a third of all U.S. energy-related carbon dioxide emissions -- the chief gas scientists blame for global warming.
In a courtroom packed with auto industry representatives, environmentalists and government employees, three justices of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit sternly questioned lawyers for the states and the EPA. The judges wondered how far the government should go in the face of scientific uncertainty over global warming.
"We can't even tell what the weather's going to be two weeks from now, but these models tell us what the climate is going to be like 100 years from now," said Judge A. Raymond Randolph, whose questioning appeared to favor the EPA's position.
The judges did not indicate when they might rule in the case; such decisions typically take months.