If elected, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama will classify carbon dioxide (CO2) as a dangerous pollutant, his campaign announced. In addition, he will instruct the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to us the 1990 Clean Air Act to set emissions limits on power plants and manufacturers, according to Jason Grumet, Obama’s energy advisor.
This important detail of Obama’s energy and environmental policy, defines a radically different approach from the Bush administration, which has refused to create rules for greenhouse gas emissions, despite 2007 Supreme Court ruling stating that the government had the authority to do so under the Clean Air Act.
Republican presidential candidate John McCain has not said how he would treat greenhouse gases, such as CO2, under the Clean Air Act.
Obama "would initiate those rulemakings," Grumet said in an Oct. 6 interview in Boston. "He’s not going to insert political judgments to interrupt the recommendations of the scientific efforts."
The only question is how quickly Obama would move on this initiative. David Bookbinder, chief climate counsel for the Sierra Club, said Obama may take action on new rules immediately upon taking office.
"This is what they should do to hit the ground running," Bookbinder said.
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