EPA gives notice for CO2 regulation

[Tonington]

The EPA gave notice that it will be reviewing the Clean Water Act legislation, to extend CO2 regulation out to the oceans.

The Obama administration took another step toward regulating carbon dioxide, issuing a notice Tuesday that the Environmental Protection Agency will review whether those emissions should fall under the Clean Water Act.

The EPA earlier this year determined that C02 should be regulated under the Clean Air Act due to its impact on temperatures. But Tuesday's notice — soliciting scientific data as to what extent seas are made more acidic by C02 — could extend regulation out to U.S. waters.

The notice was in response to a petition filed by the Center for Biological Diversity, which wants the EPA to impose stricter pH criteria for ocean water quality and publish guidance to help states protect their waters from ocean acidification, which reduces pH levels.
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"As more CO2 dissolves in the ocean, it reduces ocean pH, which changes the chemistry of the water," the EPA said in its notice. "These changes present potential risks across a broad spectrum of marine ecosystems."

EPA moves toward regulating carbon dioxide - Climate Change - MSNBC.com

So, now they appear to have both Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act legislation backing regulatory efforts. Will this put pressure on the Senate to adopt market based approaches, to avoid regulations from the top down?