Obama preparing regulations limiting carbon dioxide on existing power plants

President Obama is preparing regulations limiting carbon dioxide emissions from existing power plants, which are responsible for nearly 40 percent of greenhouse gas emissions, reports John Broder for The New York Times. "The move would be the most consequential climate policy step he could take and one likely to provoke legal challenges from Republicans and some industries." In 2007, the Supreme Court gave all decisions on existing power plants to the executive branch; so far the administration has targeted only new plants for greenhouse-gas limits.

Republicans have criticized Obama’s climate policy "as government overreach that is holding back the economy," reports Broder. Some Democrats have expressed concern "that tough new standards on power plants could slow job growth and raise energy costs, particularly in places like the industrial Midwest that depend on cheap power from coal."

Obama, though, said in a speech Wednesday that the U.S. and the world had a moral imperative to take “bold action” to slow the warming of the planet. “The grim alternative affects all nations — more severe storms, more famine and floods, new waves of refugees, coastlines that vanish, oceans that rise,” Obama said. “This is the global threat of our time.” 

Rules applying to power plants can take years to complete, so if Obama hopes to have a new set of greenhouse-gas standards for utilities in place before he leaves office, he needs to begin before the end of the year, reports Broder. The president is expected to announce his plans, which also include new initiatives on renewable power and energy efficiency, within the next few weeks. (Read more)