This week in regulation

The Senate is in this week and the House is out, but all eyes will be on the Environmental Protection Agency, where administrator Gina McCarthy will unveil perhaps the single most contentious regulation of the Obama administration.

The announcement Monday morning of new limits on greenhouse gas emissions from power plants represents the opening salvo of a new battle over how the government should respond to climate change.

{mosads}News leaking out over the weekend, reported first by The Wall Street Journal, indicates the new rule will aim to cut emissions by 30 percent by 2030.

Democrats are split on the plan, according to The Washington Post.

Delve deeper here, with five key questions for the rule, how it will be structured and what the likely fallout will be. 

Across town, the Supreme Court is expected to announce opinions that could include a handful of cases with major implications for regulations and the limits of executive branch power, including the closely watched National Labor Relations Board v. Noel Canning and Texas v. Environmental Protection Agency.

Monday is also the deadline for companies to begin complying with new Securities and Exchange Commission regulations meant to stem the bloodshed in the war-torn Democratic Republic of Congo.

The “conflict minerals” rule, part of the Dodd-Frank financial reform bill, requires manufacturers to determine whether any gold, tantalum, tin or tungsten in their products originated in the central African nation.

The minerals are the source of much violence in the country, and the rule is designed to lower demand. However, only part of the rule will take effect after a federal court said regulators went too far in terms of what they were forcing companies to disclose.

The Hill’s reporters will endeavor to cover these and other issues throughout the week, so check back here early and often for the latest. And send any comments, complaints or regulatory news tips our way, via bgoad@digital-stage.thehill.com or tdevaney@digital-stage.thehill.com.