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On Monday, the Obama administration is expected to formally propose new regulations that aim to cut U.S. greenhouse gas-emissions from existing power plants 30 percent by 2030, the Los Angeles Times reports. This new rule would set specific targets for carbon dioxide reductions in each state, and allow local officials to choose how to best meet the goals.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rule will target power plants that burn fossil fuels, which emit 40 percent of America's carbon dioxide, more than other sources. States will be charged with reducing carbon dioxide emissions 30 percent from the 2005 levels, when emissions were 10 percent higher than in 2012. States will be encouraged to use more renewable energy and to become more energy efficient.

If the proposal withstands the coming swarm of lawsuits and attacks from Congress (both political and legislative), it will eventually phase out hundreds of the 600 or so coal-fired power plants in the U.S., The New York Times reports, while ushering in systemic changes to how America generates and deploys energy.