US EPA repeals climate requirements for coal and gas power plants
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has repealed requirements introduced under the administration of Joe Biden for substantial emissions reductions at existing and future coal- and gas-fired power plants. The final rule was announced on Monday during the G20 energy ministers’ summit in Houston, The Japan Times reports.
The repealed standards required fossil-fuel power plants to significantly reduce emissions in the coming decades, including through the use of carbon capture and storage technologies. According to the EPA, the new rule will make it possible to save $310 billion. Agency head Lee Zeldin called it the largest deregulation step in the history of the energy sector.
EPA position
Aaron Szabo, the EPA’s head of air-quality regulation, said power plants should not become targets of unfair regulation. The agency also proposed a separate rule to repeal the federal finding under which greenhouse gas emissions specifically from power plants were recognized as a significant source of air pollution under the Clean Air Act.
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According to Szabo, the EPA maintains that regulating climate emissions from power plants exceeds the agency’s authority under that law. If this proposal is finally approved, a future EPA will not be able to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from power plants in connection with global climate change.
Reaction from industry and environmentalists
Representatives of the energy industry supported the repeal of the requirements. Michelle Bloodworth, president of the industry group America’s Power, said the move would help preserve coal-fired power plants, strengthen grid reliability, and protect consumers from higher prices. The Edison Electric Institute, which represents US investor-owned electric utilities, also welcomed the repeal of standards based on carbon capture and storage technologies.
At the same time, environmental organizations criticized the decision. Meredith Hankins of the Natural Resources Defense Council called the complete repeal of the standards without plans to introduce a replacement an unusual step. Former EPA head Gina McCarthy said the Clean Air Act requires the agency to regulate significant sources of pollution that threaten public health. Environmental experts expect the new rule could be promptly challenged in court.
