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WASHINGTON – The Environmental Protection Agency will announce proposed rules on Monday for regulating greenhouse gas emissions from existing power plants, a first for the agency.

Florida is likely to feel an impact.

The Sunshine State ranks second (behind Texas) in carbon dioxide emitted by power plants: 116.3 million tons in 2013.

The EPA rules are centerpiece of President Barack Obama's plan to combat global warming, a priority for the president. His administration has issued rules for future plants. Fossil-fueled power plants are largest source of CO2 emissions in the U.S.

The EPA has a year to revise the rules before making them final. States would have another year to come up with a plan for meeting emissions limits. But the rules likely will be challenged in courts by conservative states and industry groups, which could substantially delay their start.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce argues that reducing emissions would hurt the economy and wouldn't have much effect on global carbon dioxide emissions. Environmentalists counter the costs of the rules would be more than offset by their gains, and the U.S. needs to act to convince other countries to also take action.

That's an argument made by GOP Sen. Marco Rubio, who is skeptical of the widely accepted conclusion emissions from human activity are prime culprit behind global warming.

"Even if scientists concluded that in fact our modern way of living in the 21st century is the only cause of changes to our climate, I would ask what policy changes are they recommending that would actually reverse that when the largest polluters in the world — China, India and underdeveloped countries — have no interest in making any changes whatsoever," he said recently.

Monday's administration announcement on new power plant rules will come less than a month after a White House-issued climate report raised alarms about Florida.

The report forecast an increase in the number of severe hurricanes that will threaten the state's Atlantic and Gulf coasts, a rise in the number of days when the temperature will hit at least 95, and rising sea levels that will threaten coastal communities and water supplies.

Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson has called the state "ground zero" for effects of climate change.

Little support

How low had support for Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki plummeted on Capitol Hill?

Well, consider that both Rubio and Nelson said it was time for the embattled secretary to go.

Rubio was first of the two to say Shinseki should resign over allegations the VA falsified waiting-time records for veterans seeking care. Nelson expressed support last week for legislation Rubio sponsored to give the VA secretary more power to discipline and fire senior managers, but he had stopped short of calling for Shinseki's ouster.

That changed Friday, when Nelson said it would be "the right thing" for Shinseki to resign.

It remains to be seen whether the two senators will agree on how to address problems at the agency. For now, they're marching to the same tune.

Maureen Groppe, Gannett Washington Bureau, contributed to this report.