Congress Needs to Act on Greenhouse Gases Now [UPDATE: EPA to Act!]

I mostly agree with the Washington Post on this one:

As soon as next week, the Environmental Protection Agency could follow through on an order from the Supreme Court to either declare carbon dioxide a pollutant or to say why it isn't. That decision could usefully signal to the world that the United States is serious about regulating greenhouse gas emissions. But it should also send a shiver down Congress's collective spine. Because the regulation of carbon will have a profound effect on the American economy, this vital task should be the responsibility of Congress, not of unelected officials at the EPA.

[...]

The best way to stop [piecemeal regulation by the EPA] from happening is for Congress to adopt a more rational scheme, by putting a price on carbon with a tax (ideally) or a cap-and-trade market. Next week, Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D-Calif.), the current chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee, will hold hearings on the discussion draft of comprehensive energy legislation that he and Rep. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), chairman of the energy and environment subcommittee, released before the Easter recess. While the proposal details many ambitious programs for renewable energy and efficiency, it is noticeably mute on the contours of a cap-and-trade system. Specifically, it doesn't say whether the pollution allowances would be auctioned or a portion given away to industry to ease the transition to a carbon-constrained economy. This is an important question, one whose answer will have a profound impact on the way Americans live -- one of many basic issues that should be settled by their representatives in Congress.

That's right, Congress needs to act now on greenhouse gas emissions and global climate change. My only quibble with the Washington Post is with the urgency of the situation and the need for action now. The fact is, the polar ice caps are melting now, West Africa is facing "megadroughts" made worse by climate change now, and there's no time to waste. If Congress is unable and/or unwilling to act in the next few weeks or months, I'd say "go for it, EPA!"

UPDATE: At long last, we're going to have policy made based on science, not on ideology. Needless to say, this marks a 180-degree turn from the Bush Administration, which politicized everything and tossed out the science their fossil fuel industry pals didn't like. Go Obama!