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WWF Climate Blog

Home » Blogs » Nick Sundt's blog

U.S. EPA: Greenhouse Gases "Threaten the Public Health and Welfare of the American People"

Published by Nick Sundt on Mon, 12/07/2009 - 14:48

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today (7 December 2009) that greenhouse gases (GHGs) threaten the public health and welfare of the American people; and that on-road vehicles contribute to that threat.

Specifically, EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson signed two findings regarding greenhouse gases under section 202(a) of the Clean Air Act:

  • Endangerment Finding: The Administrator found that the current and projected concentrations of six key greenhouse gases (including carbon dioxide or CO2) in the atmosphere threaten the public health and welfare of current and future generations.
  • Cause or Contribute Finding: The Administrator found that the combined emissions of the greenhouse gases from new motor vehicles contribute that endangerment.
The findings came after a public review period earlier this year that generated more than 380,000 comments. These had to be considered before EPA issued today's decisions.  The findings bring the U.S. government one step closer to the regulating greenhouse gas emissions from  motor vehicles.
 
“This is great news and shows that the Administration is committed to enforcing the Clean Air Act and addressing dangerous climate change," said Keya Chatterjee, Director of WWF-US’s Climate Change Program.  "The finding recognizes the clear scientific basis for regulating carbon pollution as a threat to public health and welfare. "
Chatterjee added:
 
“The Clean Air Act is now and must remain an important tool for helping to fight dangerous climate change.  But the most effective approach to addressing the climate crisis both at home and as part of a global partnership is through comprehensive climate legislation.   
 
“In the context of the Copenhagen climate talks, this finding underscores the Administration’s seriousness about climate change, but we still have one missing element: the trust of the international community that the US will follow through on the medium and long term targets announced by President Obama last week. 
 
"For that, we also need US legislation.  When President Obama comes to Copenhagen next week, the world will be listening intently for assurance that he will make climate change his next legislative priority after healthcare.”

“These long-overdue findings cement 2009’s place in history as the year when the United States Government began addressing the challenge of greenhouse-gas pollution and seizing the opportunity of clean-energy reform,” said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson.

Predictably, the Competitive Enterprise Institute, announced that it would sue EPA "on the grounds that EPA has ignored major scientific issues."

More information on the EPA's final endangerment finding is available from EPA's Web site, including:

 

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