Washington - Today, the Environmental Protection Agency denied the state a California a waiver to impose its own, more stringent auto emissions standards aimed at cutting down on the release of greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change. The ruling effectively negates the efforts of other states, including New Jersey, to implement similar standards.

Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ) a member of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, released the following statement:

"Our planet is drowning and this administration simply refuses to let anyone do very much about it. In fact, this is completes a dubious trifecta for the administration and its Republican party on obstructing progress against climate change. Internationally they resisted more progressive emissions reductions at the conference in Bali, domestically they blocked an attempt at taking taxpayer money from the oil companies to pay for renewable energy and now on the state level they are killing a serious effort to clean our air. Under this administration, you might as well call the EPA the 'Environmental Pollution Agency'."

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