washington trump administration soon begin review question veracity climate change science use president barack obama administration basis environmental regulations move environmental protection agency launch public debate scientists climate research know red-team blue-team exercise would first major effort republican administration challenge long-standing scientific consensus human-caused climate change advocate petition epa reverse scientific find underlie u.s. regulations govern greenhouse gas emissions see proposal scrutinize mainstream climate science first step direction way survey landscape reopen endangerment find say myron ebell head competitive enterprise institute one group file petition agency undo 2009 scientific determination form basis democratic obama administration regulation greenhouse gas 2007 supreme court rule epa authority federal clean air act regulate greenhouse gas cars agency determine endanger human health epa administrator scott pruitt speak several time merit open climate change debate public website climatewire friday cite senior administration official say pruitt plan launch back-and-forth scientific critique formally francis menton lawyer file endangerment find petition january behalf concern household electricity consumers council say pruitt tell event manhattan institute think tank new york friday would launch debate next months menton say ask pruitt whether make decision reopen endangerment find pruitt say agency weigh options review create body scientific work trustworthy dependable make regulatory choices decisions say rob henneke texas public policy foundation third group file endangerment find petition unlike two challenge legality endangerment find science environmental group confident pruitt successful try undo endangerment find expect court side scientific consensus human be cause climate change pruitt epa would need build new case show carbon dioxide innocuous counter volumes scientific research support find grasp scientific legal reality would realize fool errand reverse endangerment determination say david doniger climate director natural resources defense counsel could way keep right-wing fringe group occupy also accomplish goal confuse public debate say ebell also transition leader trump epa previously critical pruitt hesitation take endangerment find time staff would require trump administration yet appoint second-tier assistant administrators run different policy divisions agency think red-team blue-team process logical first step think commit administrator anything yet ebell say group see climate science review chance undercut regulation