Business groups stated that the EPA announcement would harm the economy and jeopardize jobs as the country emerges from a deep recession. There had been concerns that Obama, who has prioritized fighting climate change, would attend the U.N. conference with little progress due to stalled climate legislation in Congress. Democratic Senator John Kerry said the EPA move was intended to encourage Congress to act. However, he noted that "imposed regulations by definition will not include the job protections and investment incentives we are proposing in the Senate today." The agency might begin making rules as early as next year to regulate emissions from vehicle tailpipes, power utilities, and heavy industry under existing laws.
"EPA has finalized its endangerment finding on greenhouse gas pollution and is now authorized and obligated to make reasonable efforts to reduce greenhouse pollutants," said Lisa Jackson, the EPA administrator. "This administration will not ignore science or the law any longer." This decision is expected to bring some optimism to the two-week United Nations meeting in Copenhagen, which Obama is scheduled to attend next week, but it was criticized by some U.S. business groups fearing increased costs. The EPA ruling that greenhouse gases endanger human health, widely anticipated after issuing a preliminary finding earlier this year, allows the agency to regulate planet-warming gases even without congressional legislation.
However, the administration urged the EPA to push businesses to support congressional efforts and show the world Washington's commitment to combating climate change. A proposal unveiled in September requires boosting fuel efficiency by 40 percent by 2016 and aims to cut carbon emissions by 21 percent by 2030.
The climate bill has been delayed in the U.S. Senate due to healthcare reform debates, but lawmakers hope to pass it in the spring. Climate legislation narrowly passed in the House of Representatives in June.
CONGRESSIONAL ACTION
Obama will pledge at Copenhagen that the United States, the world’s second-largest emitter of greenhouse gases, will cut emissions by roughly 17 percent by 2020 from 2005 levels. The Obama administration has always preferred legislation over EPA action. Republicans claimed the move equates to imposing an energy tax.
"By seeking to sharply curtail carbon dioxide (and thus energy usage), the EPA is effectively working to decrease economic activity," the Republican Study Committee said. The EPA decision, now open for public review, does not preclude legislation. Any new regulations could take a long time to implement, giving Congress room to act.
"All industries will be called upon to reduce carbon emissions," said Dave McCundy, chief executive of the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers. World leaders hope to reach an agreement at the meeting on how rich and developing countries can share the burden in fighting climate change.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Monday paved the way for regulating greenhouse gases without new laws passed by Congress, reflecting President Barack Obama’s commitment to act on climate change as a major summit opened in Copenhagen. One business group quickly criticized the EPA. Keith McCoy, vice president of energy policy at the National Association of Manufacturers, said the EPA was moving forward with an agenda that would impose additional burdens on manufacturers, cost jobs, and drive up energy prices.
The EPA ruling applies to six gases scientists say contribute to global warming, including the main one, carbon dioxide. If the EPA acts alone, it could face numerous legal challenges, including from business groups claiming the action oversteps the administration’s authority, as well as from environmentalists seeking stronger measures. Legislation by Congress would be more politically acceptable for Obama because it would represent a compromise between business, politicians, and other interests rather than through an imposed ruling.
Still, big industry could soon learn about changes. Car makers will know by the end of March about required increases in fuel economy standards for cars built for the 2012 model year. Obama and his allies in Congress will still pursue legislation in Congress, which has been slow to act. But the EPA move gave a timely boost to the president’s goals of securing short-term limits on harmful emissions.
"The EPA move strengthens Obama’s hand at Copenhagen," said Joe Mendelson, global warming policy director at the National Wildlife Federation. "It gives him additional authority that if Congress doesn’t pass climate legislation, the agency can put the country on the path to meet his climate goals."
The Supreme Court ruled in 2007 that the EPA had the right to regulate emissions of the gases under the Clean Air Act. However, under former President George W. Bush's administration, the EPA said Congress was the appropriate body to frame action.
STRONGER HAND IN COPENHAGEN