News
26/09/14
EPA repeals power plant CO2 rules
EPA repeals power plant CO2 rules
Houston, 14 September (Argus) — The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on
Monday finalized the repeal of CO2 emissions standards for coal- and natural
gas-fired power plants, while proposing to roll back remaining greenhouse gas
(GHG) emissions standards for power plants. "Today we are repealing the majority
of the burdensome 2024 requirements so that Americans can benefit from our
nation's full energy potential," EPA administrator Lee Zeldin said during a
meeting of energy ministers from G20 countries in Houston. "But we aren't just
stopping with the Biden administration's overreach. We are also proposing to
rescind all remaining greenhouse gas emissions standards for power plants — all
of them," Zeldin said, arguing these moves will help save consumers a projected
$310bn from 2026-2047. EPA's latest action will repeal a rule that set CO2
emissions standards for existing and new coal-fired units, as well as new
natural gas-fired power plants. The agency under former president Joe Biden
finalized the standards in April 2024 , which were designed to promote the use
of carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology to reduce emissions. The rule was
designed to reduce emissions from coal-fired power plants by 90pc. The repeal of
the 2024 CO2 emissions standards will go into effect 60 days after it is
published in the Federal Register . In addition, EPA today released a new
proposed rule designed to supplement EPA's earlier repeal of the landmark 2009
endangerment finding , which had underpinned a number of federal climate
regulations. The proposal argues that the agency does not have the authority
under the federal Clean Air Act to regulate power plant CO2 emissions in
response to concerns for global climate change. Instead, the Clean Air Act only
gives EPA the power to regulate emissions that threaten local or regional public
health and welfare, the proposal said. In addition, the proposal says that power
plant GHG emissions do not significantly contribute to air pollution, since even
the complete elimination of US power sector emissions would have a minimal
impact on the effects of global climate change. The proposal is expected to save
$370mn in direct compliance costs, Zeldin said. EPA will accept public comment
on the proposal for 45 days. The proposal does not affect power plant
regulations dealing with conventional pollutants, such as ground-level ozone and
particulate matter. Coal state leaders and industry trade groups, including
America's Power, which represents the US coal fleet, and the National Rural
Electric Cooperative Association, praised the latest EPA action. "This bold
action will drive down costs, helping everyone in America, and will ensure that
the energy produced in this country is affordable, plentiful, secure and
environmentally responsible for everyone," said West Virginia attorney general
John McCuskey (R). EPA under president Donald Trump has worked to revisit and
roll back a slew of environmental regulations . The agency proposed to repeal
the CO2 standards in June 2025, saying that the proposal would help the economy,
lift restrictions on domestic energy supply and save more than $1bn/yr for
families. The proposal was sent to the White House for interagency review in
February, the last step before a formal end to the CO2 emissions standards.
Rescinding the rule "removes a very expensive, technically uncertain obligation"
for power plants to use CCS technology to limit CO2 emissions, according to
Scott Segal, co-chair of Bracewell's Policy Resolution Group. "While CCS is a
promising technology, at scale for coal units it was never commercially proven
at the required cost and timeline," Segal said. "And few issues resonate as much
currently as affordability and reliability of power." Environmental group the
Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) said it plans to file suit to block the
repeal of the power plant CO2 standards. Other environmental groups and
lawmakers criticized the move. The repeal "of power plant pollution rules is a
complete sham", said Maggi Coulter, an attorney at the Center for Biological
Diversity's Climate Law Institute. "This is a transparent giveaway to fossil
fuel polluters, and the courts should see it that way." Senator Sheldon
Whitehouse (D-Rhode Island), ranking member on the Senate Environment and Public
Works Committee, said that "in refusing to address this national crisis, EPA is
shifting the costs of climate change onto every family in America". By Ida
Balakrishna Send comments and request more information at
feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights
reserved.
