Group to Sue EPA Over Impact of C02 Emissions on Oceans

The Center for Biological Diversity has announced that it intends to sue the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) over its failure to use the Clean Water Act to prevent a growing acidification of the ocean resulting from massive absorption of carbon dioxide. The suit would mark the first time that an environmental group attempts to use clean water statutes to control greenhouse gas emissions. The oceans absorb roughly 22 million tons of CO2 a day — about a quarter of all the CO2 released by man — and the gas is making the oceans far more acidic. This acidification impairs the ability of corals and other marine organisms to build their shells and skeletons, which is already leading to the deaths of some coral reefs. The Center for Biological Diversity maintains that since developing the clean water standards in 1976, the EPA has failed to update them and take into consideration the rapid acidification of the oceans. Other groups are urging President-elect Barack Obama to limit CO2 emissions using the Clean Air Act.