According to a leaked proposal obtained by CNN, the EPA proposes to repeal the Carbon Pollution Emission Guidelines for Existing Stationary Sources: Electric Utility Generating Units (EGUs), commonly referred to as the Clean Power Plan (CPP) that was introduced on October 23, 2015.
This latest proposal by the Trump administration is part of the continuing effort to do away with any and all Obama-era rules and regulations having anything to do with mitigating the effects of climate change, particularly in seeking to ease restrictions on greenhouse gas emissions from coal-fired power plants. The proposal could be released as early as Tuesday.
The EPA writes this is the outcome of Trump’s executive order calling for a review of the CPP and questioning its legality. “Under the interpretation proposed in this notice, the CPP exceeds the EPA’s statutory authority and would be repealed,” the proposal reads. “The EPA welcomes comment on the legal interpretation addressed in this proposed rulemaking.”
There is no doubt about what is behind the 43-page document’s intent. TribLive is reporting the EPA’s new proposal would “make good on Trump’s campaign pledge to unravel Obama’s efforts to curb global warming and follows Trump’s promise to pull the United States out of the landmark Paris climate agreement.”
Not an immediate replacement plan
The EPA is saying the proposal is not an “immediate replacement plan.” Instead, they will publish the plan in the Federal Register and allow 60 days for public comment. The web address for submitting comments is http://www.regulations.gov.
An EPA spokesperson said on Friday the Obama administration “pushed the bounds of their authority so far” that the U.S. Supreme Court issued a stay to prevent the CPP from taking effect. “Any replacement rule that the Trump administration proposes will be done carefully and properly within the confines of the law,” EPA spokeswoman Liz Bowman said.
According to Reuters, Gina McCarthy, the EPA administrator under Obama who spearheaded the design of the CPP, said the repeal would represent “a retreat from the legal, scientific and moral obligation to address the threats of climate change.”
