Isra-Mart srl: EPA to release power plant emissions rules next year

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Rules to curb emissions from US power plants could finally be proposed next year after being delayed twice during the course of this year.

The performance standards, which could also force large companies to invest in low-carbon technologies, are likely to be announced in 2012, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administrator Lisa Jackson says in a forthcoming TV interview seen by news agency Reuters.

"I can't tell you what the regulations say right now, but what we are planning to do is release them early next calendar year," she says.

The rules for power plants had first been expected in July, but were postponed by the EPA, which said it needed more time to consult with businesses, states and green groups. Another mooted deadline in September was also pushed back.

The news that the regulations should appear next year will come as a relief to many businesses and green campaigners who have been disheartened, not only by the previous delays but also by President Obama's decision to postpone a major rule on smog-forming pollutants until 2013.

The EPA has also come under sustained attack from Republicans determined to slash the agency's funding and axe a raft of environmental regulations.