US President George W Bush's administration has said it is postponing any regulatory action on greenhouse gas emissions believed to be responsible for global warning, citing the 'complexity and magnitude' of the issue.
The decision follows last year's ruling by the US Supreme Court, which said that the Environmental Protection Agency must devise ways to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from motor vehicles under the Clean Air Act.
But the EPA said in a 588-page report released yesterday that given 'the complexity and magnitude of the question' there were doubts whether 'greenhouse gases could be effectively controlled under the Clean Air Act'.
EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson said that rather than attempt to forge a consensus 'on matters of great complexity, controversy, and active legislative debate,' he had decided to publish the views of other agencies and to seek comment on them during a 120-day review period.
The delay, observers indicate, means that any substantive regulatory action will be almost certainly left to the next administration.
