EPA takes another step towards regulating greenhouse gases

Today, the Environmental Protection Agency declared that the greenhouse gases causing climate change are a threat to human health and the environment.  EPA's administrator, Lisa Jackson, stated that the scientific evidence linking greenhouse gases, particularly carbon dioxide, to health and environmental problems is overwhelming and that these gases should be regulated under the Clean Air Act.

The 1977 Clean Air Act gave the EPA authority to limit pollution emissions that may endanger public health or welfare. Greenhouse gases are the primary cause of climate change and have been linked to numerous respiratory illnesses, heart disease, and cancers amongst other health concerns.

This announcement comes after the EPA took two additional steps towards regulating greenhouse gas emissions from large facilities, including coal-burning power plants, earlier this fall.  In September, the EPA began requiring facilities releasing more than 25,000 tons of greenhouse gas per year to report emissions.  Next, the EPA requested public feedback on a regulatory framework for limiting emissions from six greenhouse gases.

As coal-burning power plants generate more than half of U.S. energy-related greenhouse gas emissions, regulating these pollutants will significantly impact coal dependent utilities and states.  Kentucky is 93% dependent on coal for electricity.