Washington, 7 December 2009 

EPA yesterday announced greenhouse gases (GHG) endanger public health and welfare thus opening a path for regulation of them under the Clean Air Act after the Supreme Court directed it to in the 2007 case Massachusetts v EPA. 

"These long-overdue findings cement 2009's place in history as the year when the United States Government began addressing the challenge of greenhouse-gas pollution and seizing the opportunity of clean energy reform," said EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson at a press conference announcing the finding.

EPA combed over decades of scientific data that pointed to man-made GHGs contributing to the warming of the planet and in turn, potential environmental catastrophe.  The announcement came as international negotiators began meeting in Copenhagen to work toward a binding agreement on climate change -- and it demonstrates the US' commitment to GHG cuts, said Jackson.

EPA is considering a rule to direct power plants and other emitters of over 25,000 tons of CO2/year to adopt the best available technology to cut emissions (RT, Oct-01).

Jackson declined to offer a timeline for the large emitters rule, though she noted the endangerment filing requires the agency to act on limiting CO2.

Congressional action would be better than the EPA trying to use the Clean Air Act by itself, she added, but Jackson believes her agency's powers can help in addition to a new law.  The announcement was not made to push any fence-sitting Senators over to the side of passing a new law, said Jackson.

But others doubt that the timing was devoid of politics, including House Select Committee on Energy Independence & Climate Change Ranking Member Jim Sensenbrenner, R-Wis.

"It's ironic that EPA first proposed its endangerment finding just as the House was beginning to debate the Waxman-Market 'cap-and-tax' bill," said Sensenbrenner, using a nickname for the bill coined by its detractors.  "Now, it is finalizing the finding just in time for President Obama to travel to Copenhagen."

Ends --