Oil groups mount legal challenge to Schwarzenegger's tar sands ban

Guardian.co.uk

• Californian legislation branded 'unconstitutional'
• Lobby group includes UK energy companies

Terry Macalister guardian.co.uk, Sunday 14 February 2010 18.58 GMT

A lobby group that includes BP and Shell in its membership has launched a legal challenge against low-carbon legislation in California that in effect rules out the use of oil from Canadian tar sands. The action by the National Petrochemical & Refiners Association (NPRA) comes amid growing political, investor and consumer pressure on US oil companies not to participate in the carbon-intensive tar sands of Alberta.

A NPRA statement said the legislation was unlawful for a number of reasons, including the imposition of "undue and unconstitutional burdens on interstate commerce".

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