The Environmental Protection Agency took a major step Monday toward regulating greenhouses gases, concluding that climate changing pollution threatens the public health and the environment....
The EPA said that the scientific evidence surrounding climate change clearly shows that greenhouse gases "threaten the public health and welfare of the American people" and that the pollutants - mainly carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels - should be regulated under the Clean Air Act....
Under a Supreme Court ruling, the so-called endangerment finding is needed before the EPA can regulate carbon dioxide and five other greenhouse gases released from automobiles, power plants, and factories under the federal Clean Air Act.
The EPA signaled last April that it was inclined to view heat-trapping pollution as a threat to public health and welfare and began to take public comments under a formal rulemaking. The action marked a reversal from the Bush administration, which had refused before leaving office to issue the finding, despite a conclusion by EPA scientists that it was warranted.
It's about time.
FINALLY!
ReplyDeleteWOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOO
ReplyDeleteHooray! I hope that some good legislation follows.
ReplyDeleteHopefully this important step isn't overshadowed by the stupidity known as "Climategate".
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of Climategate...
ReplyDeletehttp://www.thecrunchychicken.com/2009/12/climategate-should-it-matter.html
You must be reading my mind.
So sad it's taken this dang long. (And will they actually do anything now?)
ReplyDeleteIn defense of the EPA- I think their timing is good, based on the political realities. Which are:
ReplyDeleteThe previous administration, as a wholly owned subsidiary of Exxon, clearly had instructed the EPA to ignore all science.
If the new EPA director had just reversed the rulings immediately on taking office, it would leave them open to quick and easy dismissal by the opposition; "oh, you're just saying that because of your crazy religion."
By taking a year to examine the data (whether they really did or not) - it lets them say "nope, not political, this is a carefully considered scientific decision." - with a straight face.
Useful down the road. It will quiet some noise when the rabid dogs in Congress start howling about paying for it all.
i'm a faithful crunchy reader, a green activist, and an epa employee! i'm in total agreement, thankful we were finally able to get this endangerment finding out and public. but people should know that it has been a long work in progress. the facts were ready back during the bush administration, but the agency wasn't able to bring it forward. sadly, politics shape a lot of our work, but believe me, work is going on inside. call your congresspeople and tell them you want more support for epa's science!
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