Former EPA Administrators Call for Action on Greenhouse Gas Emissions

The administration continues to rely on voluntary emission reductions and technological innovation to address greenhouse gas emissions rather than requiring mandatory cuts or imposing other regulatory solutions. Six former EPA officials disagree with that policy:

Ex-EPA Chiefs Agree on Greenhouse Gas Lid, by Juliet Eilperin Washington Post: Six former administrators of the Environmental Protection Agency, including five Republicans, said yesterday that the Bush administration should impose mandatory controls on greenhouse gas emissions to curb global warming. The group ... said the White House is not moving fast enough to address the global threat...

Lee M. Thomas, who headed the agency from 1985 to 1989 under Ronald Reagan, said U.S. businesses would welcome federal regulation at this point because it would allow them to plan for the kind of investments that will be needed ... Companies want "certainty as to what is required down the road," Thomas said. "...You can't wait until you have certainty on these issues. Then it's way too late." ... Carol M. Browner, the lone Democrat present, told reporters after the session that the panel's consensus on the need for regulation is "huge," calling it "a testament to the reality of the issue and a recognition that it's time to do something."

But the agency's current head, Stephen L. Johnson, said the administration remains committed to pursuing voluntary emission reductions and technological innovation rather than requiring mandatory cuts. Noting that automobiles account for a significant portion of carbon dioxide emissions, Johnson said: "Are we going to tell people to stop driving their cars, or do we start investing in technology [to cut emissions]? That's the answer, investing in those technologies." ...

Environmentalists said the fact that so many EPA administrators could agree on the importance of mandatory carbon limits shows the extent to which most policymakers want more sweeping action on climate change. "I can't remember anything quite like it," said Jeremy Symons, who directs ... National Wildlife Federation. "It should be an unprecedented wake-up call ... The question is whether President Bush is going to listen..."

But the administrators' statements failed to move Myron Ebell, who heads the Competitive Enterprise Institute's global warming policy program. "EPA administrators like to regulate things," said Ebell, whose think tank receives contributions from companies opposed to mandatory carbon limits. "That what EPA does. That's their only approach to anything."

Comments

[odograph]

They must respect the authority of the President of the United States!

(yes, that is a cartman-esque joke)