The Environmental Protection Agency is reviewing part of a
controversial rule that sets the first federal standards to
reduce toxic air pollution from power plants. The rule, issued
in December, is aimed at curbing mercury and other toxic
pollutants from coal- and oil-fired power plants. The Obama
administration calls the rule a sensible step to reduce
pollution, but Republicans have denounced it as a part of a "war
on coal." The rule could force hundreds of the nation's oldest
and dirtiest power plants to clean up or shut down. The review,
announced Friday, focuses on an aspect of the rule that applies
to future power plants. The technical review is intended to
clarify how the new standards would apply to five plants
proposed in Texas, Georgia, Kansas and Utah. EPA officials
called the review a routine step that will have no impact on
standards already set for existing power plants. Those rules
will protect millions of families from air pollution, the agency
said. The review was prompted by criticism from po