EPA Declares Greenhouse Gases Threaten Public Health, Environment

The Environmental Protection Agency concluded Monday that greenhouse gases threaten public health and the environment, a move that allows the agency to regulate emissions of the gases.

EPA said that scientific evidence shows that greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide, “threaten the public health and welfare of the American people,” the Associated Press reported.

Under a ruling from the Supreme Court, such a conclusion allows EPA to regulate the gases released from automobiles, power plants and factories under the Clean Air Act, AP said.

EPA and the White House have said before that the Obama administration would prefer that regulations on greenhouse gas emissions come from Congress instead of the administration.

EPA's conclusion comes at the beginning of a global conference on climate change, which started Monday in Copenhagen. The Obama administration aims to show that the United States is taking action to combat global warming, AP said.