Obama Administration Issues Climate Change Rules

The Obama administration recently announced a tougher climate change rule for power plants 

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under which generators need to cut their carbon dioxide output by 32% in what are the first-ever limits on the emission. The regulations from EPA are a major part of President Obama’s climate agenda. Compared with the carbon limits EPA proposed last year, the final rule is 9% more stringent than the 30% cut originally envisioned.

EPA is asking states to formulate plans to reach carbon reduction goals assigned to between the years 2005 and 2030, adding up to a 32% reduction nationwide. If the states do not submit plans, EPA will write and impose its own strategies upon them.

The administration estimates that the climate benefits would result in a net $46 billion benefit to the nation by 2030, along with thousands of avoided premature deaths and asthma attacks. The rule is predicted to avoid about 0.01 °C in global warming, as the country's emissions are only a small part of the global contribution.

The announcement included two other related regulations: one with hard limits on the carbon emissions of newly built power plants and a proposed framework for how EPA will write implementation plans for states that do not comply.

The announcement included two other related regulations: one with hard limits on the carbon emissions of newly-built power plants and a proposed framework for how EPA will write implementation plans for states that do not comply.