ATLANTA —
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) calls Greenhouse Gasses a public threat. It's a designation that could lead to a host of changes for air quality in Georgia.
EPA: Greenhouse gasses are harmful to humans (photo courtesy of treehugger blog)
By designating Greenhouse gasses a public threat, power plants in Rome, paper plants in South Georgia and proposed coal plants in Early and Washington counties could be subject to strict EPA regulations limiting carbon emissions. National and state business groups have long opposed such a designation, saying it could further hurt the state’s economy by driving up the cost of energy. Meanwhile, environmentalists such as Green Law’s head attorney Justine Thompson, are celebrating the decision.
"Making this determination makes the law even more clear that limits must be placed on coal fired power plants and other sources of carbon dioxide," Thompson says.
The question of whether greenhouse gasses are pollutants that should be regulated has played prominently in state legal battles over proposed coal plants. The EPA position closely resembles what environmentalists have argued---unsuccessfully---in state court.
