Texas challenges EPA ruling on greenhouse gas threat

The lawsuit seeks to set aside an Environmental Protection Agency ruling, announced in December, that sets the stage for new limits on emissions from power plants, oil refineries and vehicles, Gov. Rick Perry and Attorney General Greg Abbott said.

"This legal action is being taken to protect the Texas economy and the jobs that go with it and defend Texas' environmental successes against federal overreach," said Perry, who has made criticism of Washington the centerpiece of his re-election campaign.

Perry and Abbott, holding a Capitol news conference, argued that climate-change science has been called into question because of documents showing that researchers glossed over flaws in their work. The governor also said that Texas has reduced nitrous oxide, ozone and carbon dioxide emissions "without government mandates or extravagant fines."

Environmental advocates say the documents in question are overblown, and a high-ranking EPA official predicted the agency's ruling will survive the legal challenge.