As world leaders began gathering in Copenhagen Monday to draft a new climate change treaty, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) formally declared greenhouse gases to be a threat to public health and the environment.

The widely anticipated move -- which singled out vehicle emissions as a contributor to climate change -- sets the stage for the agency to begin regulating the emissions blamed for climate change. It also puts pressure on Congress to take the lead in drafting climate change legislation rather than allow the EPA to regulate pollution under the Clean Air Act.

The endangerment declaration is needed before the EPA can regulate emissions, as determined by a 2007 Supreme Court ruling that greenhouse gas emissions meet the Clean Air Act's definition of air pollutants. Now the EPA can move forward with new light-duty vehicle emissions standards unveiled earlier in May, which would raise corporate average fuel economy to 35.5 miles per gallon by 2016.

Source: Climatebiz

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