The Obama administration on Monday was to issue rules to cut carbon emissions from U.S. power plants, a move designed to secure the president's legacy on climate and one which has already influenced the campaigns of those who want to succeed him.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will finalize measures that promise to upend a century of electrical power generation, as it prods states and utilities to use less coal and more wind, solar and natural gas. The plan, estimated to cost $8.4 billion, is among the most complex in agency history and is expected to face a series of contentious legal challenges from states and coal producers.
Elements of the plan were released Sunday by the White House, ahead of the full roll-out. The rules are designed, in part, to put the U.S. on track to meet the goal President Barack Obama laid out as part of negotiations for a global accord on climate change. Those talks are set to conclude this at the Paris climate conference in December.