Finding gives US EPA power to regulate greenhouse-gas emissions
The US government has authorised itself to regulate greenhouse-gas emissions, with potentially costly consequences for the oil and power sectors
CARBON dioxide (CO2) and five other greenhouse gases (GHGs) present a public health hazard, according to a December ruling by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The organisation "is now authorised and obligated to take reasonable efforts to reduce greenhouse pollutants under the Clean Air Act (CAA)", said EPA head Lisa Jackson. It is "perhaps the most significant decision ever reached in environmental law", she claimed. The announcement fulfils a mandate established by a 2007 Supreme Court ruling that the EPA has the authority to regulate GHG emissions if they pose a threat to human health and welfare. At the time, it directed the EPA to review the latest scientific data on climat
Also in this section
23 April 2026
The addition of an oil pipeline to the Power of Siberia 2 gas project could ensure deliveries of Russian oil to China, materially shorten logistics lines between West Siberia and final customers, and—amid disruption in the Strait of Hormuz—offer a land-based export route that reduces exposure to maritime chokepoints
23 April 2026
There is a clear push to bolster exports to Asia amid uncertainty around its North American neighbour, but there are limits to the benefits from the energy crisis
23 April 2026
Shell made the play-opening discovery in Namibia’s Orange basin back in 2022, but its next well could decide whether the project can actually be commercialised
22 April 2026
The failure of OMV Petrom’s keenly watched exploration campaign at Bulgaria’s Han Asparuh block highlights the Black Sea’s uneven track record, despite major successes like Neptun Deep and Sakarya
