WHEN: Thursday, December 20 at 12:00/noon

WHERE: EPA Building 75 Hawthorne St. San Francisco, CA 94105

WHAT: Environmentalists and human rights activists will be in front of the EPA building today at 12:00/noon to protest the Bush administration's refusal to allow California and 16 other states to limit greenhouse gas emissions from cars and trucks.

VISUALS: Activists with colorful signs, chants and an 80 square foot Balloon Banner reading, "EPA Driving Global Warming."

WHO: Activists lead by Global Exchange and the Freedom from Oil Campaign.

WHY: The EPA's refusal yesterday to grant California a waiver under the Clean Air Act marks the first time the EPA has flat-out denied a waiver request by California; the federal government had previously granted the state more than 50 waivers. California's AB 1493, also called the Pavley Law, seeks to establish vehicle greenhouse gas pollution standards. With forty percent of California's greenhouse gas emissions coming from transportation fuels, establishing vehicle emissions standards is an obvious first step toward protecting the climate and the public health of all Americans. If the waiver had been granted and the 16 other states had adopted the California standard, it would have reduced emissions from at least half of all vehicles sold in the United States. A lawsuit filed by the automakers to block implementation of the law was dismissed in federal court December 12.

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The Freedom From Oil Campaign is working to end America's oil addiction, stop oil wars, and curb global warming by convincing the auto industry to dramatically improve fuel efficiency and eliminate vehicle greenhouse gas emissions.