Despite the gridlock on a climate bill, the EPA is already authorized to regulate carbon dioxide from cars. And the Obama administration has raised mileage standards so that by 2016, the new car fleet in the US will have to average 35 mpg. But without a climate bill, it will be a piecemeal approach. And the EPA may be the main arm of the government regulating carbon sources, including power plants and businesses. With the climate bill in limbo, EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson is playing enforcer and reconciler at the same time. We got both at last weekâÂÂs interview with her. On the one hand, she praises the âÂÂheroic effortsâ of climate bill sponsors Kerry, Liberman and Graham. But when pressed about a potential gasoline tax, a major part of the bill, she says itâÂÂs a âÂÂheadline that people donâÂÂt want to discuss right now.â What is the administration willing to sacrifice to get a bill? Watch the first section of our live interview with her and find out.
