By Andrew Childers and Anthony Adragna, Bloomberg BNA.

The EPA will continue some work on its Clean Power Plan programs despite a stay from the U.S. Supreme Court, but it has made no decisions on extending the rule's compliance deadlines as the litigation moves forward, the agency's top air official said.

“It's actually a little premature to be speculating specifically about the compliance dates in the Clean Power Plan,” Janet McCabe, the EPA's acting assistant administrator for air and radiation, said March 17 during the American Council on Renewable Energy policy conference. “We need to see how the litigation goes.”

Originally, states were required to submit their preliminary compliance plans to the EPA by Sept. 6, but that deadline is no longer in effect, McCabe said. The rule was intended to take effect in 2022 with emissions reductions being phased in through 2030.