Barack Obama

President Barack Obama is tired of waiting for Congress to move on legislation to reduce carbon emissions, and his administration is poised to move forward on actions to do just that—including a move that will effectively eliminate the possibility of any new coal plant opening in the United States, experts say.

"We can choose to believe that Superstorm Sandy, and the most severe drought in decades, and the worst wildfires some states have ever seen were all just a freak coincidence," Obama said during his State of the Union address. "Or we can choose to believe in the overwhelming judgment of science—and act before it's too late."

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If Congress won't act soon to protect future generations, I will," he said. "I will direct my Cabinet to come up with executive actions we can take, now and in the future, to reduce pollution, prepare our communities for the consequences of climate change, and speed the transition to more sustainable sources of energy."

But what can Obama do?

Industry insiders, lobbyists, and experts say the president has already gotten the ball rolling on a host of administrative actions that he was likely alluding to in his speech.

James McGarry, a policy analyst at the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, a regional group that supports climate change legislation, says that thanks to a 2007 Supreme Court decision forcing the Environmental Protection Agency to move ahead with regulating carbon dioxide and some other gases as pollutants, the Obama administration is already working unilaterally to curb emissions but their biggest moves to date are imminent.

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The report stems from a 90-minute meeting Obama held with Ritter and other energy experts last March. Since that meeting, Ritter has been in regular contact with the White House and he and other experts who were involved briefed Cabinet members on the report last week.

While he doesn't have any plans to meet with Obama again, Ritter said he does plan to meet with John Podesta, Obama's new senior adviser on these issues, and others sometime in the next week or so.

One White House official praised the report. "The administration is committed to moving to cleaner energy solutions, and welcomes this set of recommendations for moving forward on energy efficiency, renewables, advanced vehicles, and other key energy priorities," White House spokesman Matt Lehrich said in an email.

The Environmental Protection Agency's carbon regulations for power plants are the cornerstone of Obama's climate agenda, and they certainly draw the most criticism. But the White House is simultaneously implementing many other components of his plan announced in June, and the report to be released Tuesday will show the breadth of what an administration can do without Congress.

http://www.nationaljournal.com/energy/what-obama-can-do-on-climate-change-without-congress-20140120