"WASHINGTON -- The Senate's top Republican is telling states to ignore a central part of President Barack Obama's plans to curb the pollution blamed for global warming.

In an op-ed published Tuesday in the Lexington Herald-Leader, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky says states should reject Obama's proposed requirements for power plants to reduce carbon dioxide, the chief greenhouse gas. The rule, expected to be final this summer, would require states to submit plans as soon as 2016, or risk being forced to comply with a federal substitute.

"Refusing to go along at this time with such an extreme proposed regulation would give the courts time to figure out if it is even legal, and it would give Congress more time to fight back. We're devising strategies now to do just that," McConnell writes."

Dina Cappiello reports for the Associated Press March 4, 2015, [2]

SEE ALSO:

"Why States Rejecting EPA's Clean Power Plan Could Face Bigger Rate Hikes" (InsideClimate News) [3]

"EPA Administrator Races To Finish Landmark Climate Rules" (The Hill) [4]

"EPA Considers Delaying Carbon Deadline After Utilities Object" (Bloomberg) [5]