With carbon-capping legislation stalled in Congress, the Environmental Protection Agency is planning to move forward with plans to regulate greenhouse gas emissions under the Clean Air Act. Rep. henry Waxman, D-CA, tells correspondent Dan Goldstein why the act is an appropriate means to do so.
Waxman says the regulation stem from a case that went all the way to the Supreme Court, which ruled that the EPA is required to regulate greenhouse gas emissions under the Clean Air Act. He says he was concerned about how the agency would handle it at first, but the guidance EPA has issued gives him more confidence. He says the agency has said it will not regulate small sources, but will concentrate on larger sources and motor vehicles.
Waxman says the bill that stalled in Congress would have given industries more incentives to cut their emissions and more regulatory certainty, so they can go ahead and make plans and seek investments. He says the result would have been more significant emissions cuts than EPA regulations alone.
Waxman says the debate going forward will be difficult. He predicts that Republicans who will hold the majority in the U.S. House starting in 2011 will attempt to block EPA regulations with legislation and legal action. But he predicts the administration will prevail, and he believes the Clean Air Act will celebrate many future anniversaries.
