On March 27, the Bush Administration announced it would open a public comment period later this spring on possible greenhouse gas (GHG) regulations. The surprise announcement by the Administration is a result of last April's Supreme Court decision, which ordered EPA to reconsider its decision that carbon dioxide emissions from cars and other motor vehicles was not a pollutant and could not be regulated under the Clean Air Act.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Stephen Johnson sent a letter to key lawmakers, stating his plans to issue a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking outlining the federal government's proposals to mitigate climate change. He said that EPA is considering several policy options for dealing with different economic sectors, including automobiles, power plants, airplanes, etc.
EPA has not stated any additional plans beyond the public comment period. Most people following this issue expect that there is not sufficient time remaining for the current Administration to complete the rulemaking and that, instead, a comprehensive climate change program will be dealt with by the next president.