Obama seeks new path to environmental goals

President Barack Obama, facing a Congress that is more hostile to environmental regulation, is moderating his goals: a clean energy standard that mixes nuclear, natural gas and "clean coal" with wind, solar and other renewable sources.

President Barack Obama, facing a Congress that is more hostile to environmental regulation, is moderating his goals: a clean energy standard that mixes nuclear, natural gas and "clean coal" with wind, solar and other renewable sources.

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In his State of the Union speech, Obama called for 80 percent of the nation's electricity to come from clean sources by 2035.

That challenge represents a new strategy to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide blamed for global warming, following the death of cap-and-trade legislation that Obama pushed during the last two years.

According to the White House, the new target would double the percentage of electricity that comes from clean energy sources. Clean coal and "efficient natural gas" would be given only partial credits toward the goal.