The chief of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is preparing to defend the Obama administration's greenhouse-gas policies in her first appearance before the U.S. House of Representatives since the Republicans took control of the chamber.

In testimony prepared for a hearing before a panel of the House's powerful energy committee, EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson urged lawmakers to reject a proposal that would block the EPA from pursuing its greenhouse-gas rules.

Earlier this year, Rep. Fred Upton (R., Mich.), chair of the House Energy & Commerce Committee, and Sen. James Inhofe (R., Okla.) introduced a draft bill that would suspend EPA's work on those rules.

If passed, that bill would represent "politicians overruling scientists on a scientific question" and would "become part of this committee's legacy," Jackson said in her testimony.

Several lawmakers in both the House and the Senate have introduced bills in recent weeks to suspend, or altogether halt, EPA's work on greenhouse-gas standards.

Many of them believe EPA lacks the authority to regulate the emissions under the Clean Air Act. Others, such as Inhofe, believe EPA's rules will lead to incremental changes and will not affect climate change.

"EPA's regulations will impose enormous costs for no meaningful benefits--in other words, all pain for no climate gain," Inhofe said in testimony prepared for the hearing. Inhofe serves as the ranking Republican on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.

Jackson and the EPA have become a lightening rod for Republicans, who have stepped up their attacks on environmental rules they say are too expensive and will cost jobs in a rough economy. Just weeks after assuming control of the committee, Upton identified several EPA rules and policies that he wanted to repeal or investigate.
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