A major electric utility group cheered U.S. EPA's efforts to formulate new regulations governing cooling-water intakes at power plants, calling the efforts a step in the right direction.

EPA published a so-called Notice of Data Availability that Edison Electric Institute President Tom Kuhn said "incorporates new information EPA received in comments and during power plant site visits and seeks public comment on vital concerns to the utility industry."

"These issues must be fleshed out and appropriately addressed as the administration works toward finalizing a rule this summer that protects aquatic life in a flexible and cost-effective manner," Kuhn said in a news release.

EPA estimates the rule will require at least 650 power plants across the country to make significant modifications to their cooling-water intake structures, which can vacuum up and kill fish and other marine life.

EEI said the power sector is "united in its concerns regarding several elements of the agency's proposal that needlessly jeopardize the ability of many facilities -- including those with cooling towers and cooling ponds -- to achieve compliance."