In a much-anticipated and, in some quarters, dreaded move, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Sept. 30 announced it might use the Clean Air Act to regulate greenhouse gases. The same day, Sens. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), chair of the Environment and Public Works Committee, and John Kerry (D-Mass.) introduced their version of a global-warming bill.
Industry sources say they greatly prefer legislation to address global warming rather than a regulation, and the Clean Air Act is the wrong vehicle to regulate carbon-dioxide emissions. They claim that using the Clean Air Act to regulate greenhouse-gas emissions could lead to construction delays and litigation.