Trump EPA moves to wipe out climate rules for power plants
The Trump administration's EPA has overturned most Biden-era rules limiting climate pollution from power plants. The agency cited exceeding its authority under the Clean Air Act as justification.
The Trump administration's Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has overturned most of the Biden-era rules designed to limit climate pollution from power plants, the second-largest source of greenhouse gas emissions. The EPA announced a final plan on Monday that guts the "2024 Carbon Pollution Standards."
The agency stated that the 2024 standards exceeded its authority under the Clean Air Act by requiring control technologies "that are not adequately demonstrated." Furthermore, the EPA proposed revoking "all remaining GHG emissions requirements for power plants," arguing their emissions "have no material impact on climate change."
This action follows the hottest summer on record and a United Nations report warning that global temperature increases are likely to push climate risks to "increasingly dangerous heights." Power plants represent a significant source of emissions.
The plan to revoke the "2024 Carbon Pollution Standards" was initially revealed last spring. The new plan aims to eliminate several key regulatory mechanisms intended to reduce emissions from electricity generation.