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Tuesday 21 augusT 2018

Trump ready to ease rules on coal-fired power plants

By MATTHEW DALY by telephone Tuesday on
Associated Press greenhouse guidelines for
WASHINGTON (AP) — The states to set performance
Trump administration is set standards for existing coal-
to roll back the center- fired power plants.
piece of President Barack President Donald Trump is
Obama’s efforts to slow expected to promote the
global warming, the Clean new plan at an appear-
Power Plan that restricts ance in West Virginia on
greenhouse gas emissions Tuesday.
from coal-fired power The plan also would let
plants. states relax pollution rules
A plan to be announced for power plants that need
in coming days would give upgrades, according to a
states broad authority to summary of the plan and
determine how to restrict several people familiar with
carbon dioxide and other the full proposal who spoke
greenhouse gas emissions to The Associated Press on
that contribute to global condition of anonymity
warming. The Environmen- because they weren’t au-
tal Protect Agency an- thorized to discuss the plan
nounced late Monday publicly.
that acting administrator Combined with a planned
Andrew Wheeler planned rollback of car-mileage President Donald Trump speaks during an event to salute U.S. Immigration and Customs
to brief the news media standards, the plan repre- Enforcement (ICE) officers and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents in the East Room
of the White House in Washington, Monday, Aug. 20, 2018.
Associated Press
sents a significant retreat tial environmental benefits. a “war on coal” waged
from Obama-era efforts to The White House rejects by Obama. “This is really a
fight climate change and that criticism. plan to prop up coal plants
would reverse an Obama- “Carbon dioxide emissions — or try to,” said David Do-
era push to shift away from from the power sector will niger, a climate expert at
coal and toward less-pol- continue to fall under this the Natural Resources De-
luting energy sources such rule, but this will happen fense Council, an environ-
as natural gas, wind and legally and with proper re- mental group.
solar power. Trump has al- spect for the states, unlike” The Trump plan “will make
ready vowed to pull the the Clean Power Plan, the no meaningful reductions”
U.S. out of the Paris climate summary says. The AP ob- in greenhouse gas emis-
agreement as he pushes to tained a copy of the sum- sions “and it probably will
revive the coal industry. mary, which asserts that make emissions worse,” Do-
Trump also has directed the Obama-era plan ex- niger said.
Energy Secretary Rick Per- ceeds the EPA’s authority Gina McCarthy, who
ry to take steps to bolster under the Clean Air Act. served as EPA administra-
struggling coal-fired and Obama’s plan was de- tor when the Clean Power
nuclear power plants to signed to cut U.S. carbon Plan was created in 2015,
keep them open, warning dioxide emissions to 32 said that based on draft
that impending retirements percent below 2005 levels proposals and news re-
of “fuel-secure” power by 2030. The rule dictated ports, she expects the plan
plants that rely on coal and specific emission targets will not set specific federal
nuclear power are harm- for states based on power- targets for reducing emis-
ing the nation’s power grid plant emissions and gave sions from coal-fired plants.
and reducing its resilience. officials broad latitude to The plan is expected to ad-
The White House had no decide how to achieve re- dress power plants individu-
immediate comment on ductions. ally rather than across the
the plan, and the EPA The Supreme Court put the electric grid as the EPA pro-
didn’t respond to requests plan on hold in 2016 follow- posed under Obama. The
for comment Monday. ing a legal challenge by new plan would give utili-
A three-page summary be- industry and coal-friendly ties and states more flex-
ing circulated at the White states, an order that re- ibility in achieving emissions
House focuses on boost- mains in effect. reductions, but critics say it
ing efficiency at coal-fired Even so, the Obama plan could harm public health.
power plants and allowing has been a factor in a “They are continuing to
states to reduce “wasteful wave of retirements of play to their base and fol-
compliance costs” while coal-fired plants, which lowing industry’s lead,” Mc-
focusing on improved en- also are being squeezed Carthy said of the Trump
vironmental outcomes. by lower costs for natural administration and its new
Critics say focusing on im- gas and renewable power acting administrator, An-
proved efficiency would and state mandates that drew Wheeler, a former
allow utilities to run older, promote energy conserva- coal industry lobbyist.
dirtier power plants more tion. Trump has vowed to “This is all about coal at all
often, undercutting poten- end what Republicans call costs.”q