DHAKA: The United States on Monday proposed ordering cuts of up to 30 percent in carbon emissions from power plants in president Barack Obama’s most ambitious action yet on climate change.

The Environmental Protection Agency laid out a proposal that would let states choose ways to meet the goal of lowering emissions by an average of 30 per cent from 2005 levels by 2030.

Power plants account for some 40 per cent of US emissions of carbon dioxide, the most common greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change.

Cuts are politically sensitive as coal, among the dirtiest energy sources, remains a major US industry, reports The Straits Times.

BDST: 2107 HRS, JUNE 02, 2014