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EPA Moves Toward Regulation of Greenhouse Gases

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Posted on Dec 7, 2009
Flickr / ianduffy

Who needs Congress? The EPA officially determined Tuesday that “greenhouse gases (GHGs) threaten the public health and welfare of the American people.” Under the Clean Air Act and with the blessing of the Supreme Court, the agency might now be able to regulate emissions that contribute to the climate crisis.

We saw this coming, but it’s still a pretty big deal. For years (Bush years, even) the agency sat on its hands while Americans stared down the barrel of the biggest environmental disaster imaginable.

Things haven’t been looking too good. Congress essentially blew off the president’s weak-sauce climate regulation bill, and the commander in chief nearly skipped the landmark Copenhagen climate summit.

This announcement will give him a little ammunition to pack for his trip to Denmark.  —PZS

EPA press release here.

BBC:

The US government has declared that greenhouse gases threaten human health.

The move could allow the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to order cuts in emissions without the approval of Congress.

EPA administrator Lisa Jackson said the agency was now “authorised and obligated to make reasonable efforts” to cut greenhouse gases.

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By uga, December 8, 2009 at 12:46 pm Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

How disappointing that we arrive at our conclusions based on no more than
speculation. Is our memory that bad? You do not even need a high-school
diploma to understand the basics of the science behind GHG. Does it matter
what Mr. X or Mr. Y says or how many emails leaked? Those things don’t
suddenly make the North Pole stop melting. They don’t suddenly stop GHG
capture any less sun radiation. It’s dead simple.

Instead of choosing who to believe or engaging in conspiracy theories, go to
Wikipedia and do a little math. If you can add and multiply two numbers you
are good to go. Calculate how much GHG gases we’re pumping into the
atmosphere based on global coal/oil/gas usage. Then compare it to the normal
levels of GHG in the atmosphere. You will be surprised. My calculations showed
the release of 1% every 3 years of man-made emissions only (normalized to
the total atmospheric GHG content) and I tried hard not to overestimate. I am
amazed how Earth can take that much abuse, but apparently there are certain
safeguards that have kept us safe this far, but those are saturating.

The debate is not around GHG emissions or the science behind how we’re
capturing thermo-energy through GHG. The debate is around the consequences.

Yes, if you drive at the speed of 200mph with your eyes closed there is no
guarantee that you will die in a car crash. But I bet there is a good chance that
you will. That is why you keep your eyes open and watch for conditions that
may or may not lead you to a tragedy and try to avoid them.

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By hide_the_decline, December 8, 2009 at 6:57 am Link to this comment

The EPA will be bogged down with legal challenges to the Clean Air Act because its clear the science is not “settled” on greenhouse gases.
Instead President Obama and and the Cap and Trade Profit Al Gore have subsidized the renewable industry in China,through current Cap and Trade profiteering.China now has the most advanced photovoltaic industry in the world will reach grid parity within 3-5 yrs. Without Cap and Trade, they had enough dollars(thanks to the USA war monger), but thanks for paying the bill either way!
Now your leaders want to stop global warming i.e. tax carbon/CO2 to achieve a decline of 0.5-1 degree over the next 100yrs….
WAKE UP AMERICA!!

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By johannes, December 8, 2009 at 3:08 am Link to this comment

The JOKE is growing bigger and bigger, 1200 limousin, and 140 privat jets, in Kopenhagen,  and lots of US citizen have no clean drinking wather, if I had magic powers, I send them all to heaven in their privat jets.

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By rollzone, December 7, 2009 at 9:01 pm Link to this comment

hello. we all know good science determined the climate hoax has been perpetrated as a propaganda mechanism for United Nations members to reap gazillions of American tax payer dollars. cap and trade is a hoax. a carbon foot print evaporates alike carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. the only impact human beings have on the planet is to effectively kill one another. this hoax will certainly kill millions of innocent poor people in America. if any new regulations ought to be enacted, they should require polluting companies to clean their own mess: not the customers, nor the tax payers en mass. i farted and lit it with a match, did i pollute? i think i put food in my body, and it has completed its recycling; and entered a new phase of global use. freeing hydrocarbons into the atmosphere causes cancer, so let’s cut down on (eliminate) burning fossil fuels. Hopenhagen can smoke all the hashish they care to, but it may be time to get the United States out of the United Nations. this green hoax is Pulitzer prize material.

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By gerard, December 7, 2009 at 5:50 pm Link to this comment

Changes that are going to have to be made to mitigate global warming are going to be continual over a period of years, and widespread, affecting every individual in the world directly or indirectly.  Such a widespread need for change will require the constant upgrading of accurate information and of approval mechanisms, both scientific and political here in the U.S.  Therefore it will be vitally necessary to keep both Congress and the public continually “keyed in” to scientific facts, to update the political will to help solve problems created by our mammoth consumption of energies from coal, gas, oil and nuclear, and to eliminate hazards. 
  This is a thrilling opportunity to learn about the world as one planet of interdependent peoples, and to cooperate with others on problems that effect everybody.

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By uga, December 7, 2009 at 3:26 pm Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

Not sure what the Congress has to do with this. The Congress
already approved EPA’s power to regulate as long as the substance
is considered (yes, by EPA) a pollutant. It is not for congress to
determine if a GHG should be classified as pollutants. It is EPA’s
job. Congress only decides who gets the power to regulate. And
they already did. It’s EPA! smile

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