President Obama’s proposal to limit carbon emissions is expected to be more demanding that initially thought, and will require power plants to cut emissions by 30 percent by 2030.

The president will use his executive authority to take the action when the chief of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will announce the plan on Monday, CNN reported.

Citing a source who had been briefed, CNN reported that states will have a variety of options to meet the goal. Some of these include improving energy efficiency both inside and outside the plants, changing how long the plants operate each day, and increasing the amount of power derived in other ways through clean energy, the source said.

By acting through a regulation rather than proposing a law, the president skirts Congress.

Some Republicans aren't happy, saying the requirement will kill jobs in the coal industry. But the White House says it's not just good for the environment, it will also be healthier.

"As president, and as a parent, I refuse to condemn our children to a planet that's beyond fixing," Obama said in his weekly address Saturday.
Asked about criticism that the move won't make much difference globally without India and China doing the same, White House spokesman Jay Carney said, "The United States has to lead, first of all, and this is an indication that the United States will lead on this very important challenged posed by climate change and global warming."

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, a business federation, estimated the new regulations will cost the economy $50 billion a year.

"The administration has set out to kill coal and its 800,000 jobs," Sen. Mike Enzi said in the GOP weekly address Saturday. "If it succeeds in death by regulation, we'll all be paying a lot more money for electricity -- if we can get it."