Houston, Texas — The Environmental Protection Agency on Monday finalized the repeal of federal greenhouse gas limits on coal- and natural gas-fired power plants, reversing a major Biden-era climate policy and setting up another round of legal challenges.
EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin announced the move during a G20 energy meeting in Houston, saying the rollback would reduce regulatory costs and support the Trump administration’s goal of expanding domestic energy production. The EPA estimates the repeal will save industry roughly $120 million annually.
The rules being eliminated required some fossil-fuel power plants to sharply reduce carbon dioxide emissions, including through carbon capture or retirement. The Biden administration had projected the standards would cut about 1 billion metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions through 2047.
Power plants account for roughly one-quarter of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. Environmental and public-health groups argue that eliminating the standards will increase pollution and worsen climate-related health risks, while the Trump administration says the regulations imposed excessive costs for relatively limited global climate benefits.
The repeal is likely to face immediate court challenges. It follows the administration’s earlier decision to revoke the federal “endangerment finding” that had provided the legal basis for regulating greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act. That separate action is already being challenged in federal court.
Sources
Discover more from News Facts Network
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
