The biggest risk to Obama's climate plan may be politics, not the courts | Jody Freeman and Richard Lazarus

The government is on solid legal footing to defend the Clean Power Plan - but political challenges and industry influence must be met head on

After releasing the Clean Power Plan this week the Obama administration must shift from offense to defense. The plan, which set the first national limits on carbon pollution from existing coal- and natural gas-fired power plants, faces two significant risks: one legal, the other political. The administration must address them to achieve the plan's ambitious goal of cutting carbon emissions 32% below 2005 levels in 2030.

Claiming it is a "war on coal," the coal industry and several sympathetic states have vowed to fight back with an onslaught of legal challenges. The administration's legal arguments are strong enough to prevail, but the process will be long and costly.