GHG Daily
1/11/2016
Surprising nobody, President Barack Obama vetoed two Congressional Review Act resolutions aimed at overturning the Environmental Protection Agency’s carbon emissions regulations for new and existing coal-fired power plants. The vetoes came Dec. 18, as Congress headed home for the holidays. The two regulations being threatened require states to develop action plans to meet federally set carbon emission reduction goals and essentially mandate the use of carbon capture and storage technology on all new-build coal-fired power plants.
Interestingly, Obama chose to “pocket veto” the bills, a form of veto that takes place while Congress is adjourned and is thus unable to attempt an override making the veto absolute. The Congressional Review Act resolutions passed both houses of Congress in November.
The regulation for existing coal-fired power plants, dubbed the Clean Power Plan, is at the center of the administration’s efforts to address climate change. “It is past time to act to mitigate climate impacts on American communities. Because the resolution would overturn the Clean Power Plan, which is critical to protecting against climate change and ensuring the health and well-being of our Nation, I cannot support it,” Obama wrote in his Memorandum of Disapproval of the review act resolution against the existing source rule. The president made similar statements in his Memorandum of Disapproval of the review act resolution against the new source rule as well.
