On June 2, 2014, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a pre-publication version of its proposed rule on "Carbon Pollution Emission Guidelines for Existing Stationary Sources: Electric Utility Generating Units." This precedent-setting proposal seeks to reduce carbon dioxide from existing power plants by 30 percent by 2030.

According to the pre-publication version of the proposed rule, four public hearings will be convened in Atlanta, Pittsburgh, Denver, and Washington, D.C. Comments will be due 120 days following the date the proposed rule is published in the Federal Register. A copy of the pre-publication version of the 645-page proposed rule is available online. Fact sheets on the proposal are available online.

Lobbying efforts on the proposal have already begun in earnest. The Algae Biomass Organization (ABO), for instance, issued a press release on June 2 calling on EPA to include Carbon Capture and Utilization strategies in its final rule to reduce carbon emissions. A copy of ABO's press release is available online.