EPA repeals power plant emission rules amid legal challenges

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has finalized the repeal of the Biden administration’s 2024 Carbon Pollution Standards, which regulated greenhouse gas emissions from coal and gas-fired power plants. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin stated the previous standards exceeded Clean Air Act authority by relying on unproven carbon-capture technology. The agency projects the repeal will save taxpayers $310 billion through 2047 and reduce costs for electricity consumers.

In response, a coalition of twenty-one states, led by New York, along with the District of Columbia and several major cities including Chicago and Denver, has filed a lawsuit to strike down the repeal. The plaintiffs argue that dismantling these protections will worsen the climate crisis and ignore the health costs associated with increased pollution. They are petitioning the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia to review the decision, alleging the EPA unlawfully abandoned pollution limits without considering reasonable alternatives.