Legal Framework for Acting on Climate Change
In April 2007, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that GHGs are air pollutants covered
by the Clean Air Act and must be regulated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) if they may reasonably be anticipated to endanger public health or welfare. In
December 2009, EPA issued its Endangerment Finding, which found that current and projected
levels of six GHGs threaten the health and human welfare of current and future generations
(U.S. EPA 2009). Since this finding, EPA has set in place rules and regulations to limit
GHG emissions from motor vehicles and has proposed national limits on the amount of GHG
emissions future power plants will be allowed to emit.