EPA to release new rules on power plant emissions

EPA to release new rules on power plant emissionsThe Environmental Protection Agency is expected to release new rules relating to the power plant emissions and experts say that the rules will severely affect power plants.

Industry players have said that the EPA is taking a stiff approach towards the coal industry. Coal based utilities and coal-producing regions have said that the environmental laws would effectively ban the construction of new power plants using the fuel. According to the people closer to the matter, the new rules that are currently under review by White House officials and scheduled for release next week, will be different from the current proposal.

The EPA has stood firm in the force of intense lobbying campaign by industry and has made it mandatory for new coal plants to install expensive carbon-capture technology to lower the environmental impact of the plants. Alisha Johnson, a spokeswoman for the EPA did not offer any comments on the matter.

Mike Duncan, President of the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity said, "If reports are true, the EPA is set to issue a rule that will completely halt the development of new coal-fueled plants by requiring they meet unachievable carbon standards."

The Obama administration is looking to lower carbon dioxide emissions and has asked the EPA to work to cap the carbon dioxide from power plants that account for about 40 per cent of the total US emissions. Many blame the Obama Administration and EPA for trying to eliminate coal as an energy source in order to meet climate change agenda in the United Sates.