EPA Promotes Global Warming Proposal to Governors

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — The head of the Environmental Protection Agency is promoting proposed clean power plant rules to western governors as a way to deal with wildfires and floods.

EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy met Tuesday with western governors and emphasized that states will have flexibility in developing plans to reduce carbon output.

She acknowledged that some governors whose states depend heavily on coal expressed concern about the new rules.

The EPA rules announced last week set a goal of cutting emissions of the greenhouse gas by 30 percent nationwide from 2005 levels. The goal's deadline is 2030.

Some governors have blamed increasingly destructive fires on climate change, including Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper.

Other governors in the region have decried what they call the administration's job-killing war on coal. Those include Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead.