EPA Poised to Declare CO2 a Public Danger

The Wall Street Journal ^ | DECEMBER 5, 2009 | Ian Talley

[Delacon]

WASHINGTON--The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will early next week, possibly as soon as Monday, officially declare carbon dioxide a public danger, a trigger that could mean regulation for emitters across the economy, according to several people close to the matter.

Such an "endangerment" decision is necessary for the EPA to move ahead early next year with new emission standards for cars. EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson has said it could also mean large emitters such as power stations, cement kilns, crude-oil refineries and chemical plants would have to curb their greenhouse gas output.

The announcement would also give President Barack Obama and his climate envoy negotiating leverage at a global climate summit starting next week in Copenhagen, Denmark and increase pressure on Congress to pass a climate bill that would modify the price of polluting.

While environmentalists celebrate EPA's authority to regulate greenhouse gases, it has caused many large emitters to cringe at the potential costs of compliance.

According to a preliminary endangerment finding published in April, EPA scientists fear that man-made carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases are contributing to a warming of the global climate. Senior EPA officials said in November the agency would likely make a final decision in December around the time of the summit.

Joe Mendelson, Global Warming Policy Director for National Wildlife Federation, said the endangerment decision, would happen at "absolutely the right time."

"With House legislation passed, a bipartisan Senate bill in the works, and strong EPA action a virtual certainty, the president goes to Copenhagen with a very strong hand to play," Mr. Mendelson said.

The EPA declaration would also ratchet up the pressure on U.S. lawmakers to pass legislation that analysts say would cut emissions in a more economically efficient way. Although the House has passed a climate bill, movement of similar 

[Truth29]

Maybe we need to install government run carousels like from the movie Logan’s Run. That will reduce the CO2 output. Let’s start with DC politicians and EPA employees. sarc/

[Canedawg]

Is there anything (the feds are) doing now that is for the good of We the People, or is it all to destroy America as we know us and flush us into Socialism and an eventual One World Socialist/Communist government

That's the "hope and change" the shmucks voted for, isn't it. They apparently yearn to be serfs.

[Freedom'sWorthIt]

Thank you so much for that iink to that petition project!!!

[opentalk]

My understanding is the Obama administration directed the EPA to use the UN climate data to help advance policy. If this is true, there will be push back and law suits. I think there is already a challenge on this issue.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

CO2 a pollutant? I’m not holding my breath... ;)

[CyberAnt]

You are so correct! The Sun changes its rotation around the earth; when it starts moving farther away (since 1998), the earth begins to cool. When the rotation returns the Sun closer to the earth, we begin to heat up.

It’s a CONSTANT PATTERN OF “CHANGE”. So yes, the climate does change in a constant rotation around the earth. Isn’t it nice of God to arrange this so the earth is never too cold or too hot. Perhaps if these idiots believed in GOD, they wouldn’t have so much trouble understanding the climate.

There’s a great DVD available called: “The Priviledged Planet”. It’s scientifically proven, and very informative. It’s actually awesome in it’s realization that if the orbit of the earth was 10 degrees either side of that orbit, we would be as frozen as Mars, or as hot as the sun. We truly are living on a priviledged planet.

And .. our location in the solar system is PERFECT for studying the rest of the planets. I’ve watched the DVD severall times, and I suspect I’ll watch it several times more.

[RatsDawg]

thanks for the tip on the DVD, sounds interesting, I will have to check it out!