Greenhouse emissions: An imperial EPA

Coloradans may be worried about public debt and the burden of government on the economy. They may be anxious about their jobs and their long-term financial security. And U.S. companies may meanwhile be "holding more cash in the bank than at any point on record," according to The Wall Street Journal, because of fears over another recessionary dip. No matter. Our two U.S. senators, bless their buoyant hearts, apparently believe that the private sector can withstand a lot more uncertainty and stress. So Michael Bennet and Mark Udall voted the other day to protect what is likely to become the most costly, comprehensive regulatory initiative in history. They gave their blessing to the Environmental Protection Agency's intention to set climate policy for the nation, with no input from Congress, which happens to exist in order to rule on such momentous matters. By the time the EPA is through, it is likely to impose new regulations not only on such major emitters of greenhouse gases as utilities but also on millions of small businesses, apartment buildings, hotels, schools and farms. The agency will have little choice given the path it has chosen.