The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Monday said it will conclude that greenhouse gases definitively pose a danger to human health and the environment, paving the way for further regulation of carbon dioxide emissions from cars, factories and power plants.
The announcement comes as Congress continues debate on global warming legislation that affects the entire nation’s economy. It also coincides with the first day of the United Nations climate change conference in Copenhagen, Denmark.
The Obama administration has said that it will use its rule-making power to control greenhouse gas pollution if lawmakers do not act to do so.
Already, the administration has made a deal with automakers to set stricter tailpipe emissions and higher fuel economy standards. The E.P.A. has also announced rules requiring major emitters to report an annual inventory of emissions, and has proposed a “tailoring rule” that limits regulation of greenhouse gases to large stationary sources (such as power plants) and not privately-owned vehicles.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has objected to the proposed regulations, saying they would damage the nation’s economy and force jobs overseas.
