O-O-Obama

5 September 2011 By Christopher Swann

The White House has bowed to critics in Congress and industry, who said new air quality rules would kill jobs. Polluters have previously exaggerated the costs of EPA regulations, and health-related savings matter, too. The rationale for caving in is a smokescreen for politics.

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President Barack Obama on Sept. 2 asked the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to withdraw a plan to place new limits on smog pollution.

Obama said the move was part of a broader government effort to reduce regulatory burdens and uncertainty.

A Congressional Research Service report earlier this month cast doubt on concerns expressed by some electric companies that new air emissions rules would cause blackouts.

The Edison Electric Institute, a trade group, has warned that new air control rules could force the shutdown of almost a fifth of coal-fired plants, interrupting electric supply and forcing producers to spend $129 billion upgrading plants.

Republicans in Congress have also objected to EPA initiatives to cut emissions from coal-fired plants.

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