Trump Administration Moves to Repeal Power Plant Emission Limits

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Trump administration has announced plans to repeal regulations that limit greenhouse gas emissions from power plants fueled by coal and natural gas. This move is part of a broader effort to roll back more than two dozen environmental rules and policies, aiming to fulfill President Donald Trump's pledge to "unleash American energy." The proposed changes would eliminate limits on the second-largest source of climate pollution in the U.S., behind transportation, and could face legal challenges.

The EPA argues that pollution from U.S. power plants constitutes a small fraction of global emissions and is declining. The agency also claims that eliminating climate pollution from power plants would have minimal impact on public health. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin stated that the Trump administration aims to protect the environment while boosting the economy, asserting that President Trump is a strong supporter of clean, beautiful coal. Zeldin emphasized that energy development underpins economic development, which in turn strengthens national security.

Environmental groups have swiftly criticized the proposal, arguing that it is detrimental to public health and the climate. The proposed rule suggests that greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel-fired power plants do not significantly contribute to dangerous air pollution. This proposal would eliminate rules finalized during the Biden administration that required existing coal and new natural gas-fired power plants to significantly reduce their carbon dioxide pollution starting in the 2030s. Carbon dioxide from human activity is the primary driver of global warming.

The EPA labeled carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases a danger to public health and welfare in 2009. However, legal challenges from fossil fuel interests and their allies delayed the finalization of rules to rein in greenhouse gas pollution. Now, the Trump administration also seeks to eliminate that 2009 endangerment finding, which could make it easier to roll back other climate regulations.

The Trump administration's actions are part of a broader shift away from Joe Biden's climate agenda and toward a deeper embrace of fossil fuels. The administration has started the process to withdraw from the 2015 Paris Agreement, declared a national energy emergency, and placed a moratorium on new wind energy projects on federal land and in federal waters. The administration argues that U.S. power plants are responsible for only about 3% of global greenhouse gases, a number that is declining, and thus reducing it further would provide little benefit to public health.

The U.S. coal industry has opposed limits on power plant climate pollution from the start, arguing that coal-fired power is needed to meet increasing electricity demand, including for the expansion of data centers for the growing artificial intelligence industry. West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey welcomed the proposal, calling it a major victory for the state's energy producers and every American who depends on reliable, affordable electricity.

The Biden administration's power plant rules aimed to get the country closer to the primary goal in the Paris climate accord—to zero out greenhouse gas pollution by 2050 to rein in worsening catastrophes driven by climate change. The proposed Trump rules would move the U.S. further away from that goal. The EPA also proposed to weaken a Biden-era rule that required power plants to limit other pollutants, such as mercury—a neurotoxin that limits brain and nervous system development, especially in infants and children. Coal power plants are the country's largest source of mercury pollution.

The legal basis for rules to limit climate pollution from power plants started with the Supreme Court's 2007 Massachusetts v. EPA decision, which concluded that the EPA is required to regulate carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions under the Clean Air Act. That led to the EPA's 2009 endangerment finding that designated greenhouse gas pollution as a threat to human health. In 2014, the Obama administration proposed a "Clean Power Plan" aimed at cutting carbon dioxide emissions from power plants 32% from 2005 levels by 2030. That plan faced legal challenges and never went into effect. Still, the country met that goal well before 2030, as coal-fired power plants were replaced by natural gas plants that emit less climate pollution and renewable energy.

In 2019, Trump replaced the Obama-era Clean Power Plan with his Affordable Clean Energy rule, which allowed plants to emit more climate pollution. Then, Biden came into office in 2021 with the most ambitious plan to address climate change of any major party candidate in U.S. history. The administration set a goal of eliminating climate pollution from the power sector by 2035. Scientists say that's what's needed to limit warming to 1.5 Celsius over pre-industrial levels and avoid the worst effects of climate change. So far, the world's continued fossil fuel use puts it on track to exceed 1.5 Celsius—2024 was the hottest year ever recorded.

In 2022, the Supreme Court weighed in again and restricted the EPA's options for regulating power plant emissions. Justices said that without a specific law, the agency cannot force the entire power generation industry to move away from fossil fuels toward less-polluting energy sources. So, instead, the EPA created regulations governing individual power plants. The agency and environmental groups believed that would allow the rules to survive scrutiny from a court dominated by conservative justices. Instead, the Trump administration is eliminating the regulation altogether. Once the rule is finalized—possibly at the end of this year—it's likely that will also be challenged in court.