EPA's Glacial-Speed Approach to Global Warming

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Stephen L. Johnson dismissed his own agency's findings that greenhouse gases threaten the public. Instead, he'll open a lengthy public comment period asking for input on greenhouse gases, before acting on a U.S. Supreme Court order requiring the EPA to regulate polluters. Johnson's move effectively delays any federal action to limit greenhouse gas emissions until well past the end of George W. Bush's final term in office. According to the Los Angeles Times, Johnson's slow approach "mirrors that advocated by a coalition of industry groups and conservative think tanks, including the Heritage Foundation." A Sierra Club attorney called the delay "outrageous." Representative Henry Waxman said the Bush administration was "recklessly abandoning its responsibility to address the global warming crisis." An EPA spokesman disagreed, calling the move "an historic moment" because "no administration has taken this step to evaluate this new pollutant."