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President Barack Obama will impose steeper cuts in greenhouse gas emissions from U.S. power plants, senior administration officials said. “Climate change is not a problem for another generation,” Mr. Obama said. “Not anymore.” Mr. Obama has mandated a 30 percent nationwide cut in carbon dioxide emissions by 2030, when compared to 2005 levels. According to Obama administration officials, the final version, will follow extensive consultations with environmental groups and the energy industry, which will require a 32 percent cut.

"Power plants are the single biggest source of harmful carbon pollution that contributes to climate change," said Obama. "But until now, there have been no federal limits to the amount of that pollution that those plants can dump into the air." "For the sake of our kids, for the health and safety of all Americans, that's about to change."

Gina McCarthy, head of the Environmental Protection Agency, insisted that the rules were "reasonable" and "achievable". "They can cut carbon pollution in whatever way makes the most sense to them," she said. "No plant has to meet them alone or all at once, they have to meet them as part of the grid and over time."

"These will burden Americans with increasingly high-costs of an essential service and a less reliable electric grid for delivering it," said Hal Quinn, president of the National Mining Association.

By Premji