US may follow dual path in emission cuts

The US for the first time outlined a dual path toward cutting greenhouse gases that would involve both President Barack Obama’s administration and the US Congress to reduce greenhouse emissions.

Speaking at the UN climate conference,Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson described her agency’s decision that greenhouse gases should be regulated as complementary to US legislation — not an effort to supplant the work of Congress. “This is not an either/or moment. This is a both/and moment,” she said.

The EPA on Monday gave Obama a new way to cut back on greenhouse gas emissions when the agency determined that scientific evidence clearly shows they are endangering Americans’ health. That means the EPA could regulate those gases without the approval of the US Congress.