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Enviromental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lisa Jackson announced on Monday that her department will now be able to regulate greenhouse gas emissions.

“I’m proud to announce that EPA has finalized its endangerment finding on greenhouse gas pollution...[and] is now authorized and obligated to make reasonable efforts to reduce greenhouse pollutants under the Clean Air Act,” said Jackson.

The Clean Air Act, which was passed by Congress in 1970, allowed federal and state governments the ability to regulate emissions.

Moments after Jackson's announcement, the EPA posted the following statement on its website: “After a thorough examination of the scientific evidence and careful consideration of public comments, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today that greenhouse gases (GHGs) threaten the public health and welfare of the American people."

Supporters of climate legislation lauded the announcement. In a statement issued following Jackson's remarks, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said, "The EPA has thoroughly reviewed the scientific literature on climate change, which spans decades of research across a breadth of disciplines and across the globe. The science is clear: global warming is real, its impacts are being felt around the world, and carbon emissions present a danger to public health and the economy worldwide."

Critics of both the climate bill passed by the House earlier this year and the one being looked at in the Senate questioned the timing of today's announcement, arguing that it was heavily motivated by President Barack Obama's visit next week to Copenhagen where he will take part in a major summit on climate change.

“This is nothing more than an attempt by the administration to build international support for a binding political agreement in Copenhagen. It seems liberal Democrats will stop at nothing to overcome the strong objections of the American people to a cap and tax system. Today’s decision will kill even more jobs at a time when more than 15 million workers are unemployed," said House Republican Conference Chairman Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.).