EPA Finds Six Greenhouse Gases Endanger Human Health

On April 17th, the EPA released an 133 page "endangerment finding". The brief stated that greenhouse gasses (which prevent heat from escaping the atmosphere) pose a serious threat to humanity. This document, two years in the making, was required by the US Supreme Court's decision in 2007 stating that the EPA had to determine whether green house gasses are pollutants, and therefore regulated by the Clean Air Act. The EPA, in the brief, stated that they expect findings that show that emissions from new cars are adding to the problem of greenhouse gasses. Of course, the EPA's decision has sparked a political debate; Republicans are concerned that new regulations will create costly losses for the already suffering American business. Democrats on the other hand, especially Senator Barbara Boxer, hope that this new environmental consciousness will also promote economic growth, in a cap and trade market (buying and selling of emission credits).

The greatest victory for environmentalists is that the EPA stated that greenhouse gases have a direct impact on human health, after the topic had been avoided by the Bush administration for the past eight years.