'Cow Tax' Uproar Underscores Greenhouse-Gas Divide

The idea of a so-called cow tax might seem far-fetched. But the uproar highlights a serious policy decision awaiting Mr. Obama's administration: whether to use the Clean Air Act to effectively brand as harmful carbon dioxide and other gases generated by the digestive processes of livestock. [and breathing]

Many environmental groups want the Clean Air Act used to control greenhouses gases. But business groups, led by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, are resisting. They argue such use of the Clean Air Act would lead to a cascade of unintended regulatory consequences, with regulations covering schools, hospitals, breweries, bakeries and farms.

At the core of the battle is a Supreme Court ruling last year that the 1970 Clean Air Act authorizes the agency to regulate greenhouse-gas emissions if it concludes they 'endanger' public health or welfare...

[I.e., the EPA can 'regulate' whatever it wants to by 'concluding' it's 'harmful'. And with Obama's team running the EPA...]

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