Obama to unveil 'biggest step ever’ in climate fight by imposing steeper cuts on gas emissions
The new plan sets a goal of cutting carbon pollution from power plants by 32 percent by 2030, compared with 2005 levels
US President Barack Obama will impose even steeper cuts on greenhouse gas emissions from power plants than previously expected, senior administration officials said, in what the president called the most significant step the United States has ever taken to fight global warming.
A year after proposing unprecedented carbon dioxide limits, the Obama administration was poised to finalise the rule at a White House event Monday.
Obama, in a video posted to Facebook, said the limits were backed up by decades of data and facts showing that without tough action, the world will face more extreme weather and escalating health problems like asthma. “Climate change is not a problem for another generation,” Obama said. “Not any more.”
In his initial proposal, Obama had mandated a 30 per cent nationwide cut in carbon dioxide emissions by 2030, compared to 2005 levels. The final version, which follows extensive consultations with environmental groups and the energy industry, will require a 32 per cent cut instead, according to Obama administration officials, who weren’t authorised to comment by name and requested anonymity.
Opponents said they would sue the government immediately. They also planned to ask the courts to put the rule on hold while legal challenges play out.
The final version also gives states an additional two years – until 2022 – to comply, officials said, yielding to complaints that the original deadline was too soon. States will also have until 2018 instead of 2017 to submit their plans for how they intend to meet their targets.