The demise of coal-fired power plants in Arizona and Kentucky shows how the president, despite promises to restore jobs, failed to counter the forces decimating the industry.
Robert E. Murray, the former chairman of Murray Energy, gave nearly $1 million to climate denial groups and other organizations seeking to undo environmental regulations.
The proposal is designed to provide legal justification for weakening not only the rules on mercury emissions from coal-burning power plants, but also other pollution controls as well.
Legal experts say the review of a costly but effective coal-plant restriction is part of a broader strategy to rethink the way the E.P.A. calculates the benefits of its rules.
