It's A Gas Gas Gas

As widely expected, the EPA has moved to classify CO2 and other greenhouse gases as a pollutant in order to smack Congress in the back of the head to get to work on cap-and-trade.

Having received White House backing, the Environmental Protection Agency declared Friday that carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases are a significant threat to human health and thus will be listed as pollutants under the Clean Air Act — a policy the Bush administration rejected. "This finding confirms that greenhouse gas pollution is a serious problem now and for future generations," EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson said in a statement.

The move could allow the EPA to regulate greenhouse gases, but it's more likely that the Obama administration will use the action to prod Congress to pass regulations around a system to cap and then trade emissions so that they are gradually lowered.

Indeed, the EPA emphasized that the congressional route was preferred to EPA regulation. "Both President (Barack) Obama and Administrator Jackson have repeatedly indicated their preference for comprehensive legislation to address this issue and create the framework for a clean energy economy," the EPA said in its statement.

About time. If Congress won't make laws, then Obama will go with executive orders on global warming.

Still, the point has been made, and it shows Obama is serious about getting legislation crafted and passed ASAP.