In a victory for the energy industry, the Bush administration is expected to announce soon that it is weakening a key clause of the 1970 Clean Air Act. The clause, which is known as the New Source Review, requires all power plants built before 1970 to install up-to-date pollution controls as soon as they undergo renovation. If eased, coal-burning power plants will be allowed to bypass tough anti-pollution rules, and neither elected officials nor environmentalists will be able to bring them to court. President Bush has been looking to weaken the Clean Air Act for some time, claiming its rules stifle energy output and do little to protect the environment. But it’s only now that his approval ratings are soaring in the wake of the so-called war on terrorism that he’s moved to revisit the issue. The utility industry was one of the Bush campaign’s staunchest supporters in the 2000 election.