Lawyers at the Environmental Protection Agency say the agency is preparing to drop investigations into 50 power plants that have violated the Clean Air Act and then reexamine the violations under less stringent new regulations that go into effect next month. The change in policy grew out of recommendations made by Vice President Dick Cheney’s energy task force. According to the Times, the move is seen as a major victory for the utility industry which could save between $10 and $20 billion in plant upgrades. The Bush administration and energy executives said the old rules were too expensive. One longtime EPA lawyer told the New York Times “I don’t know of anything like this in 30 years.”