From: Reuters
The Environmental Protection Agency’s rule to cut greenhouse gas emissions from existing U.S. power plants has arrived at the White House for review, Office of Management and Budget records showed on Tuesday, moving the plan closer to a public unveiling.
The plan, the centerpiece of President Barack Obama’s climate change strategy, would set emission standards for the nation’s more than 1,000 power plants, most of which burn coal.
“Greenhouse gases pose a threat to the public health and welfare,” the EPA said in a summary of its rule. “Electric generating units are one of the largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions.”
Republicans and coal industry advocates have criticized the rule, warning that it would raise energy costs, cripple the coal sector and place an unreasonable burden on power plants. Legal challenges to the regulation are expected.