Update

The notice of proposed rulemaking (NPR) for carbon emissions from new power plants is now available, here, and the EPA press release explaining it here. As that press release explains:

Under today’s proposal, new large natural gas-fired turbines would need to meet a limit of 1,000 pounds of CO2 per megawatt-hour, while new small natural gas-fired turbines would need to meet a limit of 1,100 pounds of CO2 per megawatt-hour. New coal-fired units would need to meet a limit of 1,100 pounds of CO2 per megawatt-hour, and would have the option to meet a somewhat tighter limit if they choose to average emissions over multiple years, giving those units additional operational flexibility.

As explained below, the public comment period for these rules will be open for 60 days. This is not the first proposal, of course, but the second: Proposed rules were issued in April 2012, followed by an enormous onslaught of comments; those are being formally rescinded today.

Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for Clean Air Act limits on CO2 emissions from new power plants

Is due to be (re)issued tomorrow. The Washington Post and New York Times have advance stories on this, and EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy will give details in a speech at the National Press Club at 9am.

These rules, which will apply only to new power plants, provide limits that natural gas plants can meet easily. This means they will be largely theoretical for the time being, as there are no pending applications for new coal plants in the US at the moment. However, it will be of huge symbolic importance to both sides--environmentalists who have been waiting for years for the US to take any substantive action on global warming, and Republicans and industry who maintain that President Obama is waging a "War on Coal."

The next step for the rules on new power plants is a 60-day public comment period. At least for now, the EPA is hoping to issue a final rule by the end of 2014. It also hopes to issue a proposed rulemaking for CO2 emissions from existing power plants in 2014.