Washington, DC – U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) today issued the following statement in response to the announcement by Lisa Jackson, Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), that EPA has concluded that greenhouse gases – like carbon dioxide and methane – endanger the health and welfare of the American public, and therefore must be regulated under the Clean Air Act. This endangerment finding was mandated by the Supreme Court in the landmark 2007 case, Massachusetts v. EPA. 

“I fully support Administrator Lisa Jackson's groundbreaking announcement. The imperative to act on climate change is clear -- and we cannot afford to wait for Congressional action to begin controlling emissions.

Today’s news will enable the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to begin to regulate all new emitters of greenhouse gas pollutants. In March, the Agency will finalize with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) new fuel economy standards for vehicles, which will for the first time also regulate greenhouse gas emissions.  In addition, EPA will also begin requiring new large stationary sources, like power plants or large factories, to use the best available technologies to improve energy efficiency and reduce emissions.

Importantly, today’s announcement also sends a significant signal to the international community gathered in Copenhagen for the climate change summit. It indicates that President Obama and his Administration are fully prepared to tackle the harmful emissions from vehicles and large stationary sources that are causing global warming.”

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