The White House Didn't Warn the EPA On Emissions

Time for some rumor-patrolling.

Headline:EPA's greenhouse gas ruling defies economic warning  and White House memo challenges EPA finding on warming

The latter comes from the Associated Press. But it conveys a meaning that isn't accurate.

One of the things that the Office of Management and Budget does is to collate opinions on regulations from stakeholders across the government and distribute them to the agency making the rule. It seems that one government agency warned the EPA of "serious economic consequences" if it regulated greenhouse gas emissions emissions.  

But in no way did this contention come from the White House, and it clearly does not reflect what the Obama administration believes. It's not an OMB opinion either. We don't know which agency decided to warn the EPA, and in order to preserve the integrity of the interagency process, the OMB isn't saying.  But it's inaccurate to associate the warning with the White House.

Update: The OMB director, Peter Orszag, points out that, contrary to the impression left by the press, the White House supports the EPA on this subject and has said so publicly. 

Still, it's important to note that one agency dissented. Any guess on which agency it might be?