The White House refused to open an e-mail from the Environmental Protection Agency because the message contained a document that concluded greenhouse gases can be regulated under federal law, The New York Times reports.

The EPA prepared the document in response to an April 2007 ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court. In a 5-4 ruling, the justices said the agency wrongly rejected a petition to regulate greenhouse gases based on "impermissible considerations."

After reviewing the petition again, the EPA concluded it could develop greenhouse gas regulations under the Clean Air Act. But the White House refused to accept the e-mail and subsequently pressured EPA to remove "large sections" of the document, the Times reports.

That was December 2007. The EPA plans to sign off on a "watered-down version" of the document this week, according to the Times.

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White House Refused to Open Pollutants E-Mail (The New York Times 6/25)
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