"It's going to be like eating spaghetti with a spoon. It can be done, but it's going to be messy and slow."
The Obama administration on Monday is set to make a major announcement that could serve as the centerpiece of President Barack Obama's legacy on climate issues.
The Environmental Protection Agency will announce a rule to restrict carbon-dioxide emissions from power plants, which are considered the most prevalent cause of the world's rapidly warming climate. It is considered a bold plan, and calls for reductions by as much as 25% over the next 15 years.
But the changes will run into major resistance from Republicans in Congress and businesses whose bottom lines will be negatively affected by the restrictions.
Michael Gerrard, director of the Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia University, summed up the coming fight perfectly to The Associated Press.
"It's going to be like eating spaghetti with a spoon. It can be done, but it's going to be messy and slow," Gerrard said.
Both sides of the political aisle in the U.S. have begun ratcheting up their rhetoric on the issue already.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce this week released a study claiming the restrictions could cost the economy $50 billion and thousands of jobs annually. But a study released last week by Syracuse and Harvard universities said the rule could potentially not only remove carbon from the air, but other pollutants as well.