Obama Admin. Will Issue Finding That CO2 Endangers Public

by Emily Gertz · 2009-02-22 19:12:00 UTC
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The nation's first-ever climate czar(ina) says that the Environmental Protection Agency will soon take the first steps to regulate carbon-dioxide emissions as a danger to the public.

At a conference of state governors this weekend, Carol Browner, the special advisor to President Barack Obama on climate change and energy, said in a sideline interview that based the EPA will soon "make an endangerment finding" that the greenhouse gas emissions endanger the public's health and welfare. "The next step is a notice of proposed rule making" for new regulations on carbon-dioxide emissions, Ms. Browner said, according to The Wall Street Journal.

If the agency acknowledges the danger of carbon dioxide, the federal government will be legally required (under the Clean Air Act) to create regulations controlling carbon-dioxide emissions from industrial operations including coal-fired power plants, cement manufacturers, and auto-vehicle emissions.

Although Ms. Browner didn't name a specific date for the EPA's action, EPA administrator Lisa Jackson has apparently suggested that the move might happen on April 2, the anniversary of the Supreme Court's Massachusetts v. Environmental Protection Agency ruling in 2007. This crucial decision essentially gave the EPA authority to regulate greenhouse gasses under the Clean Air Act.

As you may recall, the Bush White House stymied action on the ruling -- hilariously refusing to open emails from the EPA on the issue:

Thanks, Lee!

Emily Gertz
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