Change coming slowly on climate law

[OKIsItJustMe]

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0710/39584.html

Change coming slowly on climate law

By CORAL DAVENPORT | 7/12/10 4:43 AM EDT

Congress may or may not pass a serious climate bill this year, but one thing is certain: It won’t be business as usual.

While Republicans and polluting industries will celebrate, most know their victory will be fleeting and, with or without a bill, they’ll soon face a cascade of onerous and expensive new regulations that could fundamentally reshape the nation’s economic, environmental and legal landscape.

That’s because the Obama administration spent the past year setting up a series of rules and international frameworks on climate control that were intended to prod Congress into action, sync up with whatever legislation did pass and, as a last resort, kick in as a backstop, should Congress fail to act.

It looks increasingly like Plan C — which even President Barack Obama has characterized as a worst-case option — will prevail. And as those rules slide into place, look for the climate change battles to take plenty of dramatic twists and turns.

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