At first glance, it may seem remarkable that 15 Senate Democrats — including three considered most vulnerable to losing their re-election campaigns in November — signed a letter last week encouraging the Environmental Protection Agency to delay its planned issuance of a controversial new regulation. That regulation would limit carbon emissions by power plants that burn coal, which generate almost half of America’s electricity.
The 15 Democrats were joined by 30 Republican senators in asking EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy to double the usual public comment period from 60 days to 120 days. With the EPA set to unveil the rule on June 2, the normal comment period would put issuance of the final version of the new regulation right at the outset of the most crucial phase of the 2014 election campaign. With the 120-day comment period, that won’t happen until after the election. (Curious, isn’t it, that 30 GOP senators support something that would aid vulnerable Democrats in November?)
