EPA Declares Greenhouse Gases a Danger

The U.S. Environmental Protectioin Agency (EPA) Administrator, Lisa Jackson declared greenhouse gas a danger to public health on Monday. The decision will lead to new emissions regulations for businesses across the country and cannot avoid hurting the economy more.

The "endangerment finding" announced by EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson is necessary to move ahead on new emissions standards for cars due out in March 2010. Made under the Clean Air Act, it also opens up large emitters such as power plants, oil refineries, chemical plants and metal smelters to regulations that limit their output of carbon dioxide and other gases.

Some lawmakers and groups such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Manufacturers warned the decision could bring the entire economy to a halt, not only regulating large emitters within months, but also opening other mobile sources and smaller emitters to regulation.

"With double-digit unemployment and over 3.5 million jobs already lost this year, the administration inexplicably continues to push for a job-killing national energy tax—either through legislation or regulation," Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) said.

Greenhouse gas is a danger to public health? No. This is another misrepresentation and justification for controlling our way of life and freedom. According to Wikipedia, greenhouse gases are made of water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and ozone. The main part of greenhouse gas is water vapor which contributes 36–72%. How can water vapor be a danger to public health and how can we stop water vapor? By the way, without greenhouse gases, Earth's surface would be on average about 33 °C (59 °F) colder than at present. So, it seems that we may need greenhouse gases.

We don't have any scientific proof that humans have caused global warming and we don't even know that the earth will get warmer in the future. Whether it will get warmer or colder, regulation and taxation are not the answer for improving our environment. (...Continued)

The Wall Street Journal: EPA Declares Greenhouse Gases a Danger