EPA races to finish Obama rules

Officials at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are racing to churn out new regulations before the clock runs out on President Obama’s term. White House records show there have been a flurry of meetings in recent weeks between administration officials and outside groups trying to influence the final language of EPA rules under construction. The activity is evidence that Obama’s push to combat global warming with regulation has entered a critical phase, with officials hammering out the details of rules that carry major implications for the environment and the economy. “I think they’re really moving, and I think the president himself is very committed to moving, because climate change is happening all around us,” said Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. “I think they’re moving with speed, I do.” Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle say they are concerned by the broad sweep of the EPA’s regulatory agenda, even though the agency says it is merely enacting the laws that Congress has passed. One of the EPA regulations — a proposal to limit pollution from existing power plants — has been the subject of at least a dozen meetings at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) since early April. The power plants rule has attracted more attention that perhaps any other Obama administration regulation. Industry and green groups have flocked to the White House in hopes of shaping the proposal, slated to be unveiled early next month. Meanwhile, the administration has convened meetings on agency proposals for regulations involving oil refineries, the renewable fuel standard and a final rule revising regulations for the disposal of solid waste...more