States with poor climate policy ‘overlap’ with those seeking to limit rights, Kamala Harris says
Gov. Jay Inslee, D-Equal to the Northwest Seattle neighborhood of International District. The Democratic governor’s office has no public affairs office. He relies on staffers, who are all Democrats, for the advice he wants when he sits down with the media. (Doug Beghtel / EPA / )
A state and federal official confirmed to POLITICO Friday that the Trump administration intends to issue guidelines to replace the Obama-era Clean Power Plan by next week.
The EPA is considering using the federal authority to regulate greenhouse gases in power plants as the basis for the new framework. The official said a public notice was made that officials have been considering a proposal to use existing authority to regulate emissions from existing power plants. They are not considering regulation of existing power plants in a new way.
The officials, who have provided details only on condition of anonymity, said a final decision on how much new power plants are required to exceed annual reductions set out in the Clean Power Plan will not be made until the rules are put in place.
Some environmental groups were skeptical, saying it would leave states with less latitude to meet the targets of the Obama-era plan.
The new rule would give states additional flexibility and would not be the same as the Obama-era plan.
Republicans have said the new rule would give states and utilities more freedom to decide whether they need to build new power plants.
Inslee’s office said in a statement: “The governor believes Washington state can reduce carbon pollution while continuing to grow and create good-paying jobs for Washington families. We need the support of all Washington’s communities to achieve this goal, and the state is working closely with the Department of Ecology to develop the rule proposal that best protects the goals of Washington’s climate policy and the health of our residents.”
The administration proposal would cut emissions from existing power plants by 23 percent below 2005 levels by 2030 and 90 percent by 2050.
The rule would also require large power
