Really, this is how the White House deals with unwelcome news: essentially sticking their fingers in their ears and singing "I can't hear you"? Nope, we aren't exaggerating. the White House literally told EPA officials that they will not open any e-mails that make the determination greenhouse gases ought to be regulated. Even though the Supreme Court, that other branch that checks and balances the government, said the EPA was required to come to a conclusion.

Although the EPA was sued by California to hurry up and make a decision by the end of last year, nothing has formally been released. EPA drew up two previous decisions, both finding that carbon dioxide was a pollutant that the agency ought to regulate, and importantly, that the regulation will not destroy the economy.

Information leaked to the press and Congress included findings of $500 billion to $2 trillion in economic benefits for the country from tougher emissions standards; that the Clean Air Act could successfully be applied to regulate CO2 in many sectors of the economy; and using 2007 Energy Department data, that a 37.7 mpg CAFE standard could be successfully implemented by 2017.

The EPA is scheduled to release its Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, its long-overdue response to the Supreme Court decision some time in the next week. But the ANPR is not expected to make or dismiss an endangerment finding. Rather, it will leisurely discuss the legal and financial implications of an endangerment finding (e.g. what would happen if they actually declared CO2 out to be regulated).

The Office of Management and Budget, which is within the White House, has been the one to pressure the EPA and water down many documents pertaining to climate change during the Bush Administration. The thing is, the EPA Administrator has final say over such documents, not OMB. Stephen Johnson is rolling over and letting an advisory agency do his job in his stead.

If he cares at all about what is left of his reputation, he'll respectfully acknowledge what the OMB has to say, but then issue his recommendations based on what his EPA staff has advised him -- not a group of cronies with no training or authority on the subject. Not to mention the fact that when the final ANPR is made public, there will be stark differences from the first two drafts leaked. At that point what has been going on will be unequivocal and there will be no way for Johnson to "not recall" his way out of this.