President Obama seeks to cut carbon dioxide emissions from coal plants - New York Daily News

Mark Wilson/Getty Images President Obama has announced new plans to regulate carbon dioxide emissions from existing coal plants.

WASHINGTON - The Obama administration unveiled a sweeping initiative to cut pollutants blamed for global warming, in one of the most far-reaching and controversial executive actions President Obama has taken.

The proposed Environmental Protection Agency rule, which won't take effect before next year, would cut carbon dioxide emissions from coal plants by up to 30% by 2030, compared to 2005 levels.

Republicans vowed to fight the proposal, and said they would make it an issue in the November elections. Health and environmental groups hailed it as a major step that will help define Obama’s legacy.

"This is something that is important for all of us, as parents, as grandparents, as citizens, as folks who care about the health of our families and also want to make sure that future generations are able to enjoy this beautiful blue ball in the middle of space that we're a part of," Obama said on a conference call hosted by the American Lung Association.

The rules would give states a menu of options to meet the new standard, including investments in renewable energy and shifting to natural gas.

Reports that states may set up systems for firms to buy credits for exceeding carbon caps — local versions of the "cap and trade" system Obama failed to get through Congress — upset Republicans even before the administration made the new policy official Monday.

Jacquelyn Martin/AP President Obama discusses the proposal during a conference call hosted by the American Lung Association on Monday.

“The President’s plan is nuts. There’s really no more succinct way to describe it,” said House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio).

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) called the plan "a dagger in the heart of the American middle class" and "helping political supporters in states like California and New York while inflicting acute pain on states like Kentucky."

McConnell's Democratic opponent, Alison Lundergan Grimes, also slammed the measure, calling it "more proof that Washington isn't working for Kentucky."

But former Vice President Al Gore said, “Today’s announcement by the Obama administration to reduce our nation’s global warming pollution from power plants is the most important step taken to combat the climate crisis in our country’s history.”

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