	Presidential Announcement

On June 25, 2013, President Obama announced a national plan to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) and other greenhouse gases (GHG), as well as to encourage adaptation to expected climate change. The President stated a willingness to work with Congress on a bipartisan, market-based scheme to reduce GHG emissions. Pledged Actions and Timing

The President affirmed his commitment to his 2009 policy pledge to reduce U.S. GHG emissions by 17% below 2005 levels by 2020 if all other major economies agreed to limit their emissions as well. In 2012, the United States' gross GHG emissions were approximately 10% below their 2005 levels, or about 5% above 1990 levels. U.S. GHG emissions peaked in 2007. These are outlined below in three broad categories from the President's plan, which describes his three "pillars" as 
1. cut carbon pollution in America; 2. prepare the United States for the impacts of climate change; 3. lead international efforts to combat global climate change and prepare for its impacts. Few of the listed measures specify the timing of executive branch actions, or the quantitative GHG reductions that should be achieved. Cut Carbon Pollution

			GHG Standards for Electricity Generation

The centerpiece of the President's Climate Action Plan arguably is the Presidential Memorandum setting deadlines for EPA to issue rules to curtail carbon dioxide emissions from new and existing power plants. Specifically, the Presidential Memorandum first instructs EPA to issue, as planned, a new proposal under the Clean Air Act (CAA), by September 20, 2013, for GHG emissions from newly constructed electric generating units (EGU), and to issue the final rule "in a timely fashion" after comments. This rule was proposed in the Federal Register on January 8, 2014, opening a 60-day comment period. Second, and more significantly, the Presidential Memorandum directs EPA also to issue standards, regulations, or guidelines for CO 2 emissions applicable to modified, reconstructed and existing power plants, building on states' efforts to reduce power plant emissions. EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy plans to announce the proposed guidelines for existing EGU emissions on June 2, 2014. The Memorandum directs EPA to finalize the guidelines by June 1, 2015, and notes that states should submit to EPA their implementation plans, required under Section 111(d) of the CAA, and their implementing regulations by June 30, 2016. The net effects of the pipeline's impact on our climate will be absolutely critical to determining whether this project can go forward . " Increasing Fuel Economy Standards for Heavy-Duty Vehicles for the post-2018 Model Years . Collaborat e to Reduce Methane Emissions . Related to measures to adapt to climate change, conservation and land management will seek to protect and restore forests, grasslands, wetlands, and other resources. Agencies will continue to enter into performance-based contracts that promote energy savings and take additional actions to promote energy efficiency. Following up, Executive Order 13653, Preparing the United States for the Impacts of Climate Change , was issued November 1, 2013. It expounds upon efforts federal agencies should undertake to enhance climate preparedness and resilience. 13653 builds on previous executive orders and policies requiring agencies to develop climate change action plans and timelines. New in the President's announcement is a call to end U.S. support for public financing of new coal-fired power plants overseas. In cooperation under the UNFCCC, the Obama Administration pledged to help mobilize $30 billion of financing during 2010-2012 to assist developing countries mitigate GHG emissions and adapt to climate change. Some in Congress may seek to enact a more cohesive alternative to EPA regulation of GHG emissions and the assortment of Administration measures in the Obama plan. The Keystone XL pipeline, to transport Canadian oil sands crude across the U.S. border, requires a Presidential Permit from the President.
On June 25, 2013, President Obama announced a Climate Action Plan (CAP) to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases (GHG), and to encourage adaptation to expected climate change. The President affirmed his 2009 pledge to reduce U.S. GHG emissions by 17% below 2005 levels by 2020 if all other major economies agreed to limit their emissions as well. In 2012, U.S. gross GHG emissions were approximately 10% below 2005 levels.
The President stated willingness to work with Congress toward enacting a bipartisan, market-based scheme to reduce GHG emissions. He also said that he would take executive branch actions in the absence of congressional support. His CAP identifies measures in three categories:
Cut carbon pollution in America. Prepare the United States for the impacts of climate change. Lead international efforts to address global climate change.
Many measures in the CAP have been under way. The plan specifies few timelines or metrics for evaluating progress of individual measures.
A Presidential Memorandum, also of June 25, 2014, directs the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to issue two rules to curtail CO2 emissions from new and existing power plants. First, it instructs EPA to re-propose standards under the Clean Air Act (CAA) for GHG emissions from newly constructed electric generating units (EGU), and to issue the final rule "in a timely fashion" after comments. This proposal was published in the Federal Register on January 8, 2014, opening a 60-day comment period.
Second, and more significantly, the Memorandum directs EPA to issue standards, regulations, or guidelines for CO2 emissions applicable to modified, reconstructed, and existing power plants, building on states' efforts to reduce power plant emissions. EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy plans to announce the proposed guidelines for existing EGU on June 2, 2014. The Memorandum requests rules to be finalized by June 1, 2015. Further, it requests that guidelines require states to submit to EPA their implementation plans, required under Section 111(d) of the CAA, and their implementing regulations by June 30, 2016. Many stakeholders have encouraged EPA to write the standards and guidelines to allow innovative, potentially cost-cutting flexibilities to states and regulated entities.
The CAP additionally announces regulatory actions to
reduce GHG emissions including fuel efficiency standards for heavy-duty vehicles post-2018; tighten efficiency standards for federal buildings; and require a transition away from chemicals that contribute to global climate change that were introduced as alternatives to stratospheric ozone-depleting chemicals.
President Obama referred to the pending Presidential Permit for the Keystone XL pipeline to carry Canadian oil sands across the U.S. border: "The net effects of the pipeline's impact on our climate will be absolutely critical to determining whether this project is allowed to go forward."
In early 2014, the White House announced a strategy to reduce methane, about 9% of U.S. GHG emissions. Additional administrative actions would promote energy efficiency and increased electricity generation by renewable energy in federal facilities, on federal lands, and by private, state, and local partners of federal agencies. The President's FY2015 budget proposed funding for some related actions.
To promote adaptation to climate change by the federal government and states and localities, the CAP mostly continues existing programs. Executive Order 13653, issued November 1, 2013, Preparing the United States for the Impacts of Climate Change, expounds on efforts federal agencies should undertake to enhance climate preparedness and resilience.
The CAP includes international initiatives to promote global reductions of GHG emissions and adaptation. One would end U.S. support for public financing of new coal-fired power plants overseas, except those employing advanced efficiency or carbon capture and sequestration technology.
Notably, the CAP does not quantify whether it would meet the President's commitment to reduce GHG emissions by 17% from 2005 levels by 2020. Nor does it say how the United States would produce its share of a 2009 international pledge of $100 billion annually to assist developing countries to mitigate GHG emissions and adapt to climate change.