Setback Reported in Landmark Effort to Limit U.S. Power Plant Emissions

Environmentalists just can't catch a break can they? At the same time that President Obama was promoting using oil and gas revenues to fund advanced vehicles and new NEPA rules were being reported, news broke of a setback in efforts to regulate power plant emissions that is sure to cause heartburn among environmental advocates.

"The Obama administration is leaning toward revising its landmark proposal to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from new power plants, according to several individuals briefed on the matter, a move that would delay tougher restrictions and could anger many environmentalists," writes Eilperin.

"The discussions center on the first-ever greenhouse gas regulations for power plants, which were proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency nearly a year ago. Rewriting the proposal would significantly delay any action, and might allow the agency to set a separate standard for coal-fired power plants, which are roughly twice as polluting as those fueled by natural gas."

"While the move could bolster the administration’s legal justification for regulating power plants’ carbon emissions, any delay on the rules would be a blow to environmental groups and their supporters, who constituted a crucial voting block for President Obama and other Democrats in last year’s elections."