“If EPA regulations on existing plants are part of the mix as anticipated, that will take a long time — probably years — to put into effect,” said Marc Weiss, a documentary producer who has helped lead the Sierra Club’s Obama Climate Legacy project, which is pushing for Obama to act on climate in his second term. “Best to get that started as early in the president’s term as possible.”
“You need to get the process started,” said Paul Bledsoe, a senior fellow at the German Marshall Fund and former Clinton White House aide. “That’s really the bottom line.”
Added Jody Freeman, a former Obama White House attorney who worked in Carol Browner’s climate and energy office, in an email: “I think timing is a function of all the other things that are on the administration’s plate (and it’s full!). Doing this speech now is important because it makes a very public commitment and unleashes agencies like EPA and DOE to move forward. The clock is ticking and these regulations take time.”
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