Obama to unveil tougher climate change plan

President Barack Obama will unveil today the final version of his plan to tackle greenhouse gases from coal-fired power plants as he aims to cement his legacy on climate change, a senior administration official said. The revised Clean Power Plan will seek to slash carbon emissions from the power sector by 32 percent from 2005 […]

President Barack Obama will unveil today the final version of his plan to tackle greenhouse gases from coal-fired power plants as he aims to cement his legacy on climate change, a senior administration official said.
The revised Clean Power Plan will seek to slash carbon emissions from the power sector by 32 percent from 2005 levels in 2030, a 9 percent increase over a previous proposal.
The regulation will usher in a sweeping transformation of the U.S. electricity sector, encouraging an aggressive shift toward more renewable energy and away from coal-fired electricity.
Industry groups and some lawmakers from states that have relied on coal-based energy have said they will challenge it in the courts and through Congressional maneuvers, accusing the administration of a regulatory assault that will drive up energy prices.
The White House was defiant, and said the release of the plan was “the starting gun for an all-out climate push” by the president and his cabinet.
“My administration will release the final version of America’s Clean Power Plan, the biggest, most important step we have ever taken to combat climate change,” Obama said in a video posted by the White House Sunday at midnight. He said there have been no federal limits to date on carbon pollution from power plants, the biggest source of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions.