On Friday, the EPA released its proposed Clean Air Act standards to cut carbon pollution from new power plants in order to combat climate change and improve public health.

In addition, EPA has initiated broad-based outreach and direct engagement with state, tribal, and local governments, industry and labor leaders, non-profits, and others to establish carbon pollution standards for existing power plants and build on state efforts to move toward a cleaner power sector.

“Climate change is one of the most significant public health challenges of our time. By taking commonsense action to limit carbon pollution from new power plants, we can slow the effects of climate change and fulfill our obligation to ensure a safe and healthy environment for our children,” EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy said. “These standards will also spark the innovation we need to build the next generation of power plants, helping grow a more sustainable clean energy economy.”

Under the new proposal released today, new large natural gas-fired turbines will need to meet a limit of 1,000 pounds of CO2 per megawatt hour, while new smaller gas-fired turbines would need to meet a limit of 1,100 pounds of CO2 per megawatt hour.

These new proposed standards will limit carbon pollution by requiring that new power plants are built with available clean technology. Power plants are the largest concentrated source of emissions in the U.S. contributing to approximately one-third of all domestic greenhouse gas emissions.

Alaska’s Senator Lisa Murkowski came out in opposition of the new proposed regulations in a released statement today.

“I’m very disappointed by this latest rulemaking from the EPA,” Murkowski said. “Despite opposition, the administration has charged ahead with command-and-control regulations that will drive up energy costs for all Americans. And today we find that they are even willing to mandate the use of technologies that don’t exist on a commercial scale. This is the wrong way to advance our energy and environmental objectives.

“The administration does not have the ability to will technologies into existence by sheer force of the rules it imposes on American energy producers. Instead, a longer-term commitment to basic, scientific research is required for the technological breakthroughs that we all seek and support.

“Today’s rulemaking also doubles down on a plan to circumvent elected representatives in Congress, even as we debate an energy efficiency bill on the floor of the Senate. That legislation represents a smarter strategy for job creation, economic growth, and environmental progress.

“The President has said he can’t wait for Congress, but these rules show that he was never serious about working with us in the first place.”

Murkowski and Young wrote to the president earlier in the week requesting that he work with coongress before implementing the new regs.