The head of an Illinois coal industry trade group is panning President Barack Obama's plans for decreasing greenhouse gas emissions from coal-fired power plants.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency unveiled the proposed regulations on Monday in an effort to cut power-plant carbon dioxide emissions. The Illinois Coal Association's Phil Gonet calls them ``unfair.'' He says the rules could squeeze the supply of U.S. electricity, raising rates.
Gonet calls the issue a global one that doesn't account for storied pollution by power plants in coal-craving countries such as China and India.
And he says the EPA's push could blunt a surge in mining in Illinois, the nation's fifth-biggest coal producer.
Gonet says legal challenges could prevent the regulations from taking place, and ``we will challenge it every step of the way.''
