MOSCOW, July 1 (RAPSI) – The Supreme Court of the United States has blocked regulations implemented by President Obama's administration against air pollution produced by national power plants, LA Times has reported.

According to LA Times, justices took coal industry's side claiming that regulations would be too costly and could cause power outages. Court's majority proposed to rewrite the rules in order to reduce implementation costs for power plants.

"Mercury and air toxins" regulations have a long history beginning in 1990 when danger of mercury and other pollutants became a wide knowledge. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) identified national power plants as a major source for air pollution and was asked by government to develop regulations against dangerous emissions, LA Times has reported.

Said regulations were in the making for 22 years with EPA officially proposing rules in 2012. According to LA Times, they were to take effect this summer if not for the state of Michigan and some other states relying on power plants that challenged air pollution regulations in the Supreme Court.