The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announces it is repealing limits on climate-warming pollution from coal- and natural gas-fired power plants, ending key requirements from a 2024 rule. Several outlets report the rollback removes greenhouse gas emissions controls that would have required major reductions or shutdown timelines for some facilities.
The 2024 “Carbon Pollution Standards” required existing coal plants and new gas plants to capture and control about 90% of carbon emissions, with the expectation that the rules would reduce power-sector pollution through the late 2030s and help cut related health-harming emissions. NBC News and others note the EPA action overturns a 2024 Biden administration rule. CBS News and PBS NewsHour describe the repeal as eliminating requirements affecting how much power plants must reduce emissions, including obligations that could have relied on technologies such as carbon capture.
Outlets also describe a broader regulatory shift: the EPA says it is taking additional steps to limit future federal greenhouse gas requirements for power plants, according to the Washington Times and Korea Times. Human Rights Watch and The Independent report critics say the change would harm public health and the environment, while the EPA and some reports cite industry cost savings and changes framed as reducing regulatory burdens for utilities.
