GOP leaders today denounced the EPA's recent endangerment finding on carbon emissions, warning that they will try to block any legislation stemming from the announcement. They also condemned commitments the Obama administration has made at the U.N. climate summit.

"We are not going to permit this president or anyone else to go around making commitments... without an appreciation that those commitments are going to have to come back and get approved by Congress," said Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., at a news conference flanked by six of his colleagues, including Energy and Natural Resources ranking member Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.

"Any action that would be binding on the United States in the form of an international agreement will of course have to be ratified by the U.S. Senate," said Kyl, referring to both the greenhouse gas emissions reduction target offered by the administration and the monies pledged to help poorer nations combat climate change.

The senators threw their support behind a disapproval resolution that Murkowski is filing pursuant to the Congressional Review Act -- essentially a congressional veto -- that aims to ensure Congress does not pass climate legislation too quickly.

"It's somewhat of an unusual mechanism to pursue, but... in looking at the options out there, they're pretty limited," Murkowski told reporters at another news conference today. "I don't think we develop great policy when we have a gun to our head."

House Republicans, led by Energy and Commerce ranking member Joe Barton, R-Texas, announced this morning they are filing a similar resolution.

Republicans are looking into other options to "rein in the EPA," Murkowski said. These include adding an amendment that would restrict the agency's regulatory power, something Murkowski already tried to do without success in the fall.

Graham said a disapproval of EPA's action would not be enough and called for legislation to expand domestic oil production, nuclear power and renewable energy, as well as to price carbon.

In response to the GOP condemnation of the finding, Environment and Public Works Chairwoman Barbara Boxer of California released a statement saying that "debating over policy about unchecked global warming is fair, but repealing an endangerment finding based upon years of work by America's leading scientists and public health experts is radical to the extreme."