The big news in the US so far this week is the Obama Administration's proposal to cut carbon emissions

The big news in the US so far this week is the Obama Administration's proposal to cut carbon emissions. The plan calls for a 30% reduction in emissions from power plants by 2020. A portion of the goal will be met through a reduction of coal-generated power (and a shift to domestically abundant natural gas). Coal provides 39% of the country's electricity but produces 75% of the total emissions. The proposal is certainly going to meet quite a bit of political resistance, especially from major coal producing states. However, the EPA believes these changes will lead to $90 billion in benefits and only cost utilities around $9 billion. From an investment perspective, coal producers stand to lose the most from the proposal, but that's basically been a foregone conclusion ever since the fracking revolution began in earnest. (VIEW LINK)