Obama Would TackleCarbon Under The Clean Air Act

Barack Obama would regulate carbon dioxide as a dangerous pollutant under the Clean Air Act, the U.S. presidential candidate’s top energy adviser said. In an interview with Bloomberg news service, Obama aide Jason Grumet said the Democratic nominee would give the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency the go-ahead to draft rules capping CO₂ emissions from power plants and manufacturers, a move that President Bush has rejected. Such a regulation could halt up to half of the country’s proposed new coal-fired power plants and is considered a key potential step in addressing climate change. Although the U.S. Supreme Court ruled last year that the EPA has the legal authority to limit carbon emissions, the agency has declined to do so. Grumet said it would take about 18 months for the EPA to draft regulations. Republican candidate John McCain has not revealed his views on cutting CO₂ emissions under the Clean Air Act.