Environmental policies
In 2002, Bush announced the Clear Skies Act of 2003,[161] aimed at amending the Clean Air Act to reduce air pollution through the use of emissions trading programs. Many experts argued that this legislation would have weakened the original legislation by allowing higher emission rates of pollutants than were previously legal.[162] The initiative was introduced to Congress, but failed to make it out of committee.
Bush has said that he believes that global warming is real[163] and has noted that it is a serious problem, but he asserted there is a "debate over whether it's man-made or naturally caused".[164] The Bush Administration's stance on global warming remained controversial in the scientific and environmental communities. Critics have alleged that the administration[165] misinformed the public and did not do enough to reduce carbon emissions and deter global warming.