WASHINGTON - AN ENVIRONMENTAL Protection Agency proposal that could lead to regulating the gases blamed for global warming will prove costly for factories, small businesses and other institutions, according to a White House document.
The nine-page memo is a compilation of opinions made by a dozen federal agencies and departments during an internal review before the EPA issued a finding in April that greenhouse gases pose dangers to public health and welfare.
That finding could set in motion for the first time the regulation of six heat-trapping gases from cars and trucks, factories and other sources under the Clean Air Act.
The document, labelled 'Deliberative - Attorney Client Privilege', says that if the EPA should go ahead with the regulation of heat-trapping gases, including carbon dioxide, factories, small businesses and institutions would be subject to costly regulation.
When the Bush administration revealed its proposal to use the Clean Air Act to regulate greenhouse gases, it released full comments from each individual agency - many of which were critical.
The Bush White House ultimately decided against using the Clean Air Act, saying it was an imperfect tool that would burden the economy. Unlike Mr Bush, President Obama has offered an alternative - a new law that would limit and put a price on greenhouse gas pollution.
New legislation, currently being considered by the House of Representatives, mostly would pre-empt the agency from regulating greenhouse gases under existing law. The bill may also help mitigate some of the costs to businesses by distributing some of the permits for free.
Still, Republicans and business groups immediately used the document to bolster their arguments that controlling greenhouse gases would hurt the economy.
The memo says the EPA could have been 'more balanced' in its analysis by also highlighting regions of the country that would benefit from global warming, such as Alaska, which would have warmer winters.
It also says the EPA seemed to stretch the precautionary principle to support regulation despite the 'unprecedented uncertainty' in linking emissions of greenhouse gases and the warming that would result to health effects. -- AP
