PREVIEW: US climate agency to rule that greenhouse gases pose danger

Washington - The US government is set to rule that greenhouse gases causing global warming pose a threat to public health and welfare, a landmark finding that could set the stage for limits on a series of polluting industries in the United States. Marking the latest shift on climate policy by US President Barack Obama, the so-called 'endangerment finding' by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) would allow his administration to regulate climate damaging emissions under existing clean air laws. The finding was cleared by the White House earlier this week, but the EPA would not say when it plans to issue its decision. Media reports suggest that EPA chief Lisa Jackson could sign the document as early as Thursday. The White House's Office of Management and Budget 'has concluded their review, and we will determine what further action to take,' EPA spokeswoman Adora Andy said. The EPA's decision could pave the way for tougher federal standards on emissions from cars, power plants and other sources of pollution, though there is no clear timeline. The ruling itself must first be submitted for public comment for 60 days before it can be formally adopted by the agency. Long rejected by former president George W Bush - who opposed mandatory limits on industry emissions - the EPA's powers to regulate emissions were the subject of a court case brought by environmental groups that reached the US Supreme Court in 2007. The Supreme Court ruled that carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases must be considered air pollutants, a decision that forced the EPA to consider regulating it under the existing Clean Air Act, a 1990 US law governing air pollution. How far those regulations should go has been heatedly debated by businesses and environmental groups, while some US states have sought to adopt their own limits in place of a federal standard. Some industry critics fear the EPA's decision could prompt costly regulations on a wide swath of pollution sources, harming the economy amid a long, severe recession. Other businesses have long argued that a federal standard is critical for industries to plan ahead, as the US and other countries shift to a greener economy. Many fear that a patchwork of state regulations is only making matters worse. The EPA's finding is part of a wider shift on climate policy being implemented by Obama and comes as the international community considers how to step up global curbs on pollution by the end of this year. Obama has said he wants to cut US emissions about 15 per cent by 2020 and 80 per cent by 2050. At the same time, the US Congress is considering its own legislation, which would set an overall framework to move the country toward cleaner sources of energy, according to Emily Figdor of Environment America. Included in the congressional legislation is a so-called cap-and- trade plan, a system that would force companies to pay for their emissions in an open market for pollution licences. The EPA is expected to focus on regulating the largest causes of global warming, specifically vehicle emissions and power plants, according to environmental groups. 'Both EPA and congressional action are absolutely essential: they go hand in hand,' Figdor told reporters this week.