EPA Defers Action on Greenhouse Gas Emissions

The Bush administration rejected regulating greenhouse gases, saying it would cripple the U.S. economy, and effectively moved the issue to a future administration, the Associated Press reported Friday.

The Environmental Protection Agency, in a 588-page federal notice, made no finding on whether global warming poses a threat to people's health or welfare, reversing an earlier conclusion at the insistence of the White House, AP said.

The action officially moves any decision on a solution to the next president and Congress, AP reported.

The White House on Thursday rejected EPA’s suggestion three weeks earlier that the 1970 Clean Air Act can be both workable and effective for addressing global climate change, and EPA said that law is “ill-suited” for dealing with global warming, AP reported.