In a string of private meetings, high-level White House aides are seeking broad political support for upcoming climate-change regulations, reaching out to constituencies that go beyond the traditional environmental and public health groups that advocate for pollution controls.
John Podesta, who is a top adviser to President Obama, and White House climate aide Dan Utech have been leading the outreach effort, the White House confirmed.
Podesta and Melissa Rogers, who heads the Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, met with representatives from religious environmental groups Tuesday about the draft Environmental Protection Agency rules, according to a source familiar with the meeting.
There was also a White House meeting with labor ahead of the rule's release. Elsewhere, senior White House aide Rohan Patel met with Latino community leaders, including Latino environmentalists, on Thursday about the regulation, according to a separate source.
The draft EPA rules, which are set to be released Monday, are a cornerstone of the White House climate-change agenda. The rules are aimed at carbon emissions from power plants, a major source of U.S. greenhouse-gas pollution.
Obama will personally tout the regulations Saturday in his weekly radio address and again on a conference call with public health groups Monday that's open to the media.