The attorneys general of Maine and Connecticut questioned whether the White House orchestrated a lawsuit aimed at discrediting a 2000 federal report on the dangers of global warming. They have asked the U.S. attorney general to investigate communications between White House officials and a conservative think tank that filed the lawsuit. A 2002 email between the think tank and White House staffers indicates the administration may have improperly solicited the lawsuit against itself to undermine the federal climate report. The White House spokesperson denied the accusations as false and absurd.

1. * Dana M. Perino 0811212003 08:25:14 AM
Record Type: Record
To: Phil Cooney/CEQ/EOPoEOP
cc:
Subject: Maine, Conn. AGs question origin of
lawsuit, seek probe
well, they didn't use my goad quote
------------ Forwarded by Dana M. Perino/CEWIEoP
ofl 08/12/2003 08:25 AM .-----
William F. Holbrook
08/12/2003 08:18:59 AM
Record Type: Record
To: Dana M. Perino/CEQEOPJEOP@o
CC:
Subject: Maine, Conn. AGs question origin of
lawsuit, seek probe
The Associated Press State & Local Wire
The materials in the AP file were compiled by The
Associated Press. These materials may not be
republished without the express written consent of
The Associated Press.
August 12, 2003, Tuesday, BC cycle
1:51 AM Eastern Time
SECTION: State and Regional
LENGTH: 350 words
HEADLIN: Maine, Conrn. AGs question origin of
lawsuit, seek probe
BYLINE: By GLENN ADAMS, Associated Press
Writer
DATELINE: AUGUSTA, Maine
BODY:
Attorneys general in two New England states suggested
Monday that the White House is behind
a lawsuit that seeks to invalidate a federal report on
global warming.

2. Maine Attorney General Gi. Steven
Rowe and Connecticut Attorney General
both Democrats, also asked U.S. Attorney Richard Blumenthal,
General John Ashicroft for an investigation.
Rowe and Blumienthal said they want
to know whether White House officials
Council on Environmental Quality
solicited a lawsuit filed by a conservative working at the
tank to discredijt a 2000 report that Washington think
documents the dangers of global warming.
The lawsuit was filed last week by
the Competitive Enterprise Institute
Office on Science and Technology. against the White House
Blumenthal said a June 2002 e-mail
between a CEU executive and White
"indicates a secret initiative by the
administration to invite and orchestrateHouse staffers
to discredit an official United States a lawsuit against itself
government report on global warming
dangers."
Such action, Blumenthal said, could
constitute improper and possibly illegal
conduct.
Rowe said the idea the administration
is inviting a lawsuit from a special
to undenrmine the federal government's interest group in order
own work under an international treaty
"is very troubling."
Dana Perino, spokesperson for the
White House Council on Environmental
dismissed assentions that the lawsuit Quality,
was contrived as "100 percent false
and absurd."
Perino added that the White House,
Freedon of Information Act request, which released copies of the e-fflal in response to a
has been "perfectly forthcoming"
communications with CEI. about its
A message left with the Justice Department
was not immediately returned Monday
afternoon.
The CEI's lawsuit argues that the National
Environmental Protection Agency's Assessment of Climate Variability
Climate Action Report of 2002 should and Change and the
be invalidated.
The latter report includes references
to the National Assessment and documents
impacts, Rowe and Blumenthal say similar likely
in a letter to Ashcroft.
LOAD-DATE: August 12, 2003