It is being speculated that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Obama administration has unanimously agreed to postpone the deadline for states to reduce green house emissions to 2022 instead of 2020. This amendment is not expected to affect the initial plan of reducing emissions by 26 to 28 percent by 2025.

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President Barack Obama is keen on improving the environmental health of the country. Through the climate action plan, it is expected that green house gas emissions will be reduced to a great extent and more emphasis will be laid on the use of renewable energy.

"If Congress won't act soon to protect future generations, I will. I will direct my cabinet to come up with executive actions we can take, now and in the future, to reduce pollution, prepare our communities for the consequences of climate change, and speed the transition to more sustainable sources of energy," Obama said during a speech in 2013.

The new plan might offer incentives to states for promoting green energy and energy efficiency programs before 2022.

Since the U.S. is one of the world's largest emitters, the goal to cut emissions by 2020 is a humongous task. Many states felt that in a bid to achieve the 2020 deadline, the country's dependence on electricity had been overlooked.

"Even if the job-killing and likely illegal Clean Power Plan were fully implemented, the United States could not meet the targets laid out in this proposed new plan," said Senator Mitch McConnell, the majority leader and Republican from Kentucky.

According to the soon-to-be-released plan, states will be able to submit their plans to the EPA by 2018.

During the Bush administration, after the EPA's refusal to regulate greenhouse gas emissions, the state of Massachusetts sued the government agency. In 2007, the U.S. Supreme Court gave its verdict stating, "That if green house gases were determined to endanger public health or welfare, the EPA would be required to regulate their emissions in accordance with the Clean Air Act".

Though EPA officials feel that the delay by two years will affect the overall target of reduction in emissions, the Obama administration feels that the delay and the incentives will motivate states to start working towards a better environment at the earliest.

TagsClimate Action Plan, U.S. Clean Power Plan, Green House Emissions, renewable energy, Mitch McConnell, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency