Presidential Signature First Step to Greenhouse Gas Regulations. Maybe.

May 15, 2007 – Vol.12 No.8

PRESIDENTIAL SIGNATURE FIRST STEP
TO GREENHOUSE GAS REGULATIONS.

MAYBE.

On, May 14, 2007, President Bush ordered the Environmental Protection Agency; the departments of Energy, Agriculture and Transportation; the Office of Management and Budget; and the Council on Environmental Quality to begin crafting new regulations that could result in the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions as well as increase the fuel economy of cars and trucks.

But don’t get overly excited. We won’t see the new regulations until nearly the end of his term. He’s given the agencies a year and half to mull things over and craft the new words. Even then there’s no guarantee that fuel efficiencies will go up or emissions down. The agencies were told to consider economic effects as well.

His signature on an Executive Order, however, marked the first time he has used his Presidential power to begin what is seen as the first regulatory steps to tackle global warming. His signature was not entirely voluntary, however: not a change of heart towards global warming.

It was spurred on by an April 5-4 Supreme Court ruling that the EPA has the authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from automobiles under the Clean Air Act.

As much as the long time frame for writing the new regulations could be considered foot dragging, he was acting under the letter of the law, as it were. The Supreme Court didn’t set a date for when the EPA could or should begin regulating greenhouse gas emissions.