The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Monday finalized a rule that removes the Biden administration's limits on carbon emissions from coal- and gas-fired power plants, the agency said. The step is part of a wider push by the current administration to roll back climate regulations it argues have constrained energy production.
The agency timed the announcement to align with the sidelines of a G20 energy ministers meeting taking place in Houston. Global officials attending that gathering are set to focus on topics including energy security, expansion of baseload power and what organizers describe as "regulatory efficiency." The EPA said the final rule repeals emissions restrictions written under the previous administration that targeted carbon dioxide, mercury and other air pollutants from power plants.
Officials from the administration proposed the repeal in June. Those proposals sought to unwind rules issued under the Biden presidency that had aimed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the electricity sector. The Biden-era limits were projected to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 1 billion metric tons by 2047, and the electricity sector accounts for nearly a quarter of U.S. greenhouse gas pollution.
EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said at the time of the proposal that rolling back the rules would lower costs for companies by $120 million a year, framing the change as a relief for energy producers. The administration has characterized the broader set of regulatory rollbacks as necessary to prevent constraints on energy output.
Environmental and public health advocates criticized the move. Maggie Coulter, an attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity's Climate Law Institute, denounced the decision on Monday, saying: "Denying the existence of a quarter of the country’s climate pollution is utterly reckless. It will lead to more lost lives and suffering from intense heatwaves, drastic storms and destructive wildfires, just like those we’ve seen this summer." Environmental groups have argued that the long-term environmental and health damages would exceed any near-term industry savings.
The final rule marks a significant change in U.S. climate policy concerning the power sector and arrives amid international discussions among energy ministers about balancing reliable power supplies with regulatory frameworks. The EPA described the move as restoring regulatory positions it says had hampered energy production, while critics emphasize the potential public health and environmental consequences tied to higher emissions.