The U.S. Chamber of Commerce wants the EPA to hold a public hearing, complete with witnesses, cross-examinations and a judge, on whether or not global warming is caused by human activities, the LA Times reports.
The move appears to be a last ditch effort to stonewall new and sweeping federal emissions regulations.
"It would be evolution versus creationism," said William Kovacs, the chamber's senior vice president for environment, technology and regulatory affairs.
"It would be the science of climate change on trial."
The Chamber wants scientists to present evidence for and against global warming. Each side would be allowed to cross-examine the other.
An administrative law judge, or an EPA official, would preside and issue the final ruling.
If the EPA denies the request, as it is expected to do, the chamber plans to take the fight to federal court.
The agency has already described the challenge as a “waste of time and money” and dismissed the idea of a lawsuit as “frivolous.”
The EPA conducts similar hearings routinely on much smaller issues, such as issuing permits, but chamber officials point to a large-scale public hearing over water pollution held in the 1970s.
Last month, The International Chamber of Commerce published a bulletin welcoming the steps taken by G8 leaders at their recent summit "to develop an effective response to climate change that meets economic, social and energy needs, most especially in developing countries."
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