Johnson Pussyfoots

EPA chief will decide whether to regulate greenhouse gases ... next year

Climatic evidence notwithstanding, U.S. EPA chief Stephen Johnson would like to assure you that snoozers are not losers. On Friday, Johnson told a House special committee on global warming that he's going to put off making up his mind about whether vehicle greenhouse-gas emissions should be regulated by his agency until late 2008. It's all a matter of whether the emissions "endanger public health or welfare" -- and endangerment is a "legal term of art" that needs more study, Johnson said. The Undecider also refused to inform the House when he might determine whether California is allowed to enforce vehicle-emissions standards stricter than those outlined by the feds. "We're moving forward in a thoughtful, deliberative manner, looking at every appropriate option," Johnson explained. Color the committee members unimpressed: "This is grossly unsatisfactory," said Jay Inslee (D-Wash.) "This is like saying we're going to have a meeting next year about getting Osama bin Laden."