U.S. Edition
Washington (CNN) - The Environmental Protection Agency will announce Monday that greenhouse gases pose a threat to public health and welfare, two senior administration officials told CNN.
The anticipated announcement by EPA administrator Lisa Jackson stems from a Supreme Court ruling which ordered the agency to determine the impact of carbon emissions not only on the environment, but on public health.
Immediately after the announcement, Jackson will head to Copenhagen, Denmark, to participate in the Copenhagen Climate Conference ahead of President Barack Obama's appearance on Friday.
Her statement could provide proof to the conference that the agency and the Obama administration are taking global warming seriously. However, White House aides caution the finding does not mean the EPA will immediately begin regulating industries that pollute the air. The Obama administration is pushing for comprehensive energy legislation from Congress that puts a price on carbon emissions, a so-called "cap and trade" policy that uses market forces as an incentive for businesses to reduce carbon emissions.
In her announcement, Jackson will make the case that climate change affects weather patterns like droughts, hurricanes, heat waves and the air that people breathe, the officials said. She will say that carbon dioxide emissions go beyond damaging the environment, but also endangers public health.
The agency is making this announcement because it is required to issue an "endangerment finding" - evidence that carbon emissions are dangerous to the public health - before it can regulate carbon dioxide and five other greenhouse gases under the federal Clean Air Act.
The EPA said in April 2009 that it would likely make such a ruling regarding carbon emissions and public health. The agency completed a public-comment process before making the announcement.
Let's hack their email and find out the truth. Tired of all this fairy tale Global warming.........oops, new catch phrase, Climate change, since the warming threat doesn't hold water anymore. Just another excuse the tax the crap out of us for another failed Obama experiment.
Al Gore Is a LIAR.
The whole cap and trade thing needs to be trashed right now.
These guys are a bunch of socialist against business. They will ruin the country.
I find it interesting that the US media is still downplaying the climategate while the rest of the world is up in arms about it. Go read some new sources outside the US.
Now that the man-made global warming thing is falling apart, they have to try a new angle. :-)
And the leaked e-mails questioning the data gets ignored because they don't meet this administration's agenda. There's no room for debate, it appears you tow the environmentalist line or they do what ever they have to to silence you.
Did EPA and CNN miss the "Climategate" story of the past few weeks?
What a SCAM.
Another Obama power grab. Now, through the EPA, he can regulate anything that produces carbon dioxide or methane - factories, cars, farms, cows, ..... and people who exhale. In other words, everything.
Psst, they no longer call it global warming, cause it isn't. New catch phrase is "Climate Change". Just say no to another failed Obama experiment with OUR tax dollars.
Out of control. I suppose since their junk science is being exposed for the political spin it is they had to act fast. Nothing like ruining the economy on exageration and panic.
Plant a tree and clean up CO2 everyone!!!!!!!
Considering that Global Warming is a hoax...isn't this stupid? How about some empirical evidence, or is that too "scientific" ?
The facts that Republicans like to ignore is that climate change does weird things to weather. There are more places that are getting flooded and droughts that didn't have it before. That is one of the effects of the climate changing because of the increase of CO2. If they doubt this, then try living in a clear box where there an increase of CO2 and other gasses over the course of hours. I think they will agree that the change in percentages changes things very quickly (and might even change their minds).
Now that it is a matter of law that greenhouse gasses are endangering our lives, how can the EPA, in good faith, let anyone produce ANY greenhouse gasses?
Can't we, as inocent victims now race to courthouses everywhere and sue every for-profit industry in America?
How long will it be before our government, in the name of public safety, must take over all industry?
Anyone in the "mainstream" media question Ms. Jackson on her opinion of the recent controversy over e-mails & other documents at the University of East Anglia? And all those private planes needed to fly over the "dignitaries"to Copenhagen, and the limos to shuttle 'em around town, wonder if even one Euro will be shelled out to cover that carbon footprint?
What a bunch of crappola... These are the same political bureaucrats that set the safe drinking water standards so low while if you put pepper on your food or drink a beer you completely blow out all "Government" set levels of intake of "carcinogenic or other harmful compounds." EPA, State and local environmental regulations are why we NOW have so many bureaucrats on the tax teet while the general private sector of manufacturing, development and industry are JOBLESS! It is not like they are a bad idea, regulation is needed, it is the mindless regulation without any common sense that has destroyed us, much like political correctness!
Shocking change you can believe in.
If you're an idiot.
Big surprise...this administration puts far-Left people in charge who worship at the global-warming altar then say their opinoin is proff of globalwarming's existence...a move not even worthy of a poor high school debater...then again, Obama doesn't believe in the realities of life and finance, just 'social justice'...he'll be gone (hopefully soon enough).
Well they had to give him something, since those hacked emails came out.
And the lefties said the Bush Administration tried the fear tactic? Why don't they explain the emails? Or are they more upset with the 'theft'? And if the theft bothers them so much, why weren't they this upset when Sarah Palin's email account was hacked into?
Hypocrisy, thy name is politics.
Thaks a lot, Lisa, why don't you just add a few more nails in the economic coffin. Can't wait to see the MACT (Maximum Achievable Control Technology) on this one. I guess we will be limited to how much we're allowed to EXHALE. Idiots.
Really...just put that one together, eh?
You fools will not be happy until we're taxed to death and have no manufacturing economy whatsoever. This is ridiculous. CO2 does no more to cause warming than Algores private jet and the 1200 LIMOS at the climate conference today.
Should we stop breathing now? Why don't they put on the brakes as MORE info comes out as to the hoax of this man-made warming. Let's attack and prosecute the whistle-blowers and let the faulty science continue to destroy our economy and way of life. I hope you people got what you voted for, thanks a lot!
this will kill minoritys the will be the first to lose there jobs. Great job Owhiner