Washington • EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt issued a proposed rule Tuesday that would repeal sweeping regulation aimed at curbing greenhouse gas emissions from existing U.S. power plants.
The move, aimed at bolstering the nation's struggling coal industry, will trigger an immediate court fight and could result in months, if not years of litigation. Yet the policy reversal is unlikely to affect the nation's overall shift from coal to natural gas and renewable power generation in the electricity sector.
Nor is it likely to have a major impact in Utah, where the state’s largest electricity provider Rocky Mountain Power has said the repeal will not affect its long-range plans for retiring several of its coal-fired power plants, due to their age and potential costs of upgrades.