"WASHINGTON — President Obama has vetoed attempts by the Republican-controlled Congress to kill the Clean Power Plan that's a cornerstone of his climate change initiatives, the White House announced Saturday.

'The Clean Power Plan is a tremendously important step in the fight against global climate change,' Obama said in a veto message signed late Friday. Reversing those regulations 'not only threatens ongoing progress toward cleaner energy, but would also eliminate public health and other benefits' in reducing premature deaths and childhood asthma, he said.

The new rules aim to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from power plants 32% by 2030 — a key bargaining chip in the recently completed United Nations Climate Conference in Paris."

Gregory Korte reports for USA TODAY December 19, 2015. [2]