The Obama administration is harming businesses by asking all federal agencies to consider climate change during environmental reviews, two Republican lawmakers said Wednesday.

Rep. Ed Whitfield, of Kentucky, and Rep. Pete Olson, of Texas, slammed the administration for Tuesday's decision by the White House Council on Environmental Quality to require all federal agencies to include climate change as a part of their National Environmental Policy Act reviews.

Whitfield and Olson, both subcommittee chairmen for the House Energy and Commerce Committee, said the decision would cause uncertainty.

"Like clockwork, as our economy strives to recover, the administration serves up more regulatory directives that will create more economic uncertainty. Our economy needs a boost, not a blanket of increased red tape, costs, and more litigation," the congressmen said.

"The administration has failed to take a pragmatic, economically realistic approach and instead remained focused on a misguided agenda regardless of the toll on America's economic future."

Environmental groups cheered the decision as a victory, but there is some uncertainty among federal agencies about how the guidance will be followed. For example, federal agencies responsible for approving fossil fuel production permits, natural gas pipelines and liquefied natural gas export terminals may run into some conflicts with the guidance.

However, it is not a mandatory regulation and agencies are not legally bound to follow the directive.