It's Official: Obama's Clean Power Plan Has Been Replaced by the Trump Administration

Far-reaching political consequences of court battle

"The new rule could face an uphill battle in court," reports Anna M. Phillips for the Los Angeles Times. "The Clean Air Act obligates the federal government to regulate greenhouse gas emissions, and the Trump administration may have difficulty convincing the courts that its rule is the best way to do that."

"If the U.S. Supreme Court ultimately upholds the administration’s approach to pollution regulation, it would shut down a key avenue that future presidents could use to address climate change," notes Friedman.

“Unlike the Clean Power Plan, ACE adheres to the Clean Air Act and gives states the regulatory certainty they need to continue to reduce emissions and provide a dependable, diverse supply of electricity that all Americans can afford,"  said EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler.

The rule is clearly a boon for the coal industry in the sense that federal regulation is greatly relaxed, if not essentially removed, but it still must deal with market forces, i.e., competition from natural gas and renewable energy sources such as wind and solar, which have resulted in the shuttering of more coal plants than under the Obama administration, and political efforts from environmental and public health opponents such as the recently announced Beyond Carbon campaign, launched by a $500 million donation from Bloomberg Philanthropies.

The ACE rule, which was submitted on June 19 to the Federal Register, becomes effective 60 days after it is published in the register.

Multi-media coverage

• NPR: Jeff Brady reports on All Things Considered on Wednesday afternoon.
• PBS Newscast: Juliet Eilperin, who reported with Brady Dennis on the rule finalization for The Washington Post, was interviewed on the PBS NewsHour by Amna Nawaz on Wednesday evening.