| December 7, 2009 |  |
EPA Endangerment Finding is Welcome News to Copenhagen Delegates
Statement by Liz Perera, federal policy analyst in the Union of Concerned Scientists' Climate and Energy Program
WASHINGTON (December 7, 2009) — As the Copenhagen climate summit kicks off, the Environmental Protection Agency today will officially acknowledge that heat-trapping gases that cause global warming endanger "public health and welfare," allowing the agency to reduce emissions under the Clean Air Act. The EPA now will move forward with emissions reduction rules for the biggest polluters as well as proposed tailpipe standards for cars and trucks. Additionally, today's "endangerment finding" preserves the authority of states to reduce emissions under the law.
Below is a statement by Liz Perera, a federal policy analyst with the Union of Concerned Scientists' Climate and Energy Program:
"This is an encouraging sign for negotiators in Copenhagen that the United States is serious about reducing emissions. This decision gives America's leading environmental agency a green light to reduce emissions. Now we need Congress to pass an economy-wide global warming bill that secures the emissions reductions scientists say we need to avoid the worst consequences of global warming.
"It's been more than a year since the Supreme Court recognized the basic conclusions of climate science that carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases endanger public health and welfare. The EPA is listening to its scientists and relying on the best science. The transparent scientific process behind this decision should give the public confidence in the EPA's ability to protect us from pollution.
"The EPA will require reductions from the biggest polluters first. EPA has said only stationary sources that emit more than 25,000 tons of global warming emissions per year will be required to make reductions. That would apply only to large polluters, such as electric power plants and oil refineries. Meanwhile, new tailpipe standards for vehicles will reduce emissions by 217 million metric tons in 2020, the equivalent of taking nearly 32 million of today's cars and light trucks off the road that year.
"The EPA has been working with businesses to help them reduce their emissions for more than 15 years and, now that the endangerment finding is official, the agency will continue to work with polluting industries to meet that goal."
The Union of Concerned Scientists puts rigorous, independent science to work to solve our planet's most pressing problems. Joining with citizens across the country, we combine technical analysis and effective advocacy to create innovative, practical solutions for a healthy, safe, and sustainable future.
