By Valerie Volcovici
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Democratic U.S. Senator Joe Manchin said on Wednesday he would oppose all nominees for Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) posts until President Joe Biden's administration halts what he described as its "radical climate agenda."
Manchin, who represents the coal-producing state West Virginia, delivered his ultimatum a day ahead of the EPA's planned roll-out on Thursday of its new carbon emission standards for new and existing power plants. He said he worried the rules could cripple coal- and gas-fired power plants.
"If the reports are true, the pending EPA proposal would impact nearly all fossil-fueled power plants in the United States, which generate about 60% of our electricity, without an adequate plan to replace the lost baseload generation," Manchin said in a statement.
The agency is expected to unveil power plant emission performance standards that will lean heavily on the deployment of carbon capture or hydrogen technology to clean up the electric sector, which accounts for a quarter of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions.
Two Biden appointees are still awaiting confirmation for key agency roles - Joe Goffman as assistant administrator for air and radiation, and David Uhlmann for assistant administrator for enforcement and compliance assurance.