The head of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced the elimination of regulations designed to cap pollution from coal and natural gas power plants. The agency stated that repealing the majority of the measures enacted during the Biden administration would result in $310bn (£223bn) in savings and lead to lower energy costs.
Lee Zeldin, the EPA administrator, defended the decision by asserting that American energy production is already among the cleanest and most efficient globally. “Our power plants should not be unfairly targeted,” Zeldin said in a statement regarding the changes.
According to the EPA, the previous rules introduced under former President Joe Biden exceeded the agency’s legal authority. The administration argued that the regulations mandated control technologies that were not sufficiently proven, effectively forcing plants to shut down rather than establishing achievable emission standards. The agency is also pursuing the removal of all other greenhouse gas rules applicable to the power sector.
Zeldin, who first proposed the changes last year, claimed the rollback would secure affordable and reliable energy supplies. He argued this would reduce costs across transportation, heating, utilities, farming, and manufacturing while strengthening national security.
Environmental advocates and public health experts have strongly condemned the move. Nathaniel Keohane, president of the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions, called the decision “a giant step backward.” He accused the EPA of ignoring established science and economics, stating that the agency has abdicated its duty to protect public welfare.
Under the now-repealed Biden-era regulations, power plants, vehicles, and industrial facilities were required to significantly cut carbon emissions. Experts had projected these rules would prevent approximately 4,500 premature deaths annually by improving air quality.
In response to criticism regarding health impacts, the EPA contended on Monday that any potential public health harms were too uncertain and remote to be specifically linked to the US power sector.
Fossil fuels remain the primary driver of global climate change according to the United Nations. The power sector accounts for roughly a quarter of the United States’ greenhouse gas emissions, releasing an estimated 1.5 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide-equivalent annually. While emissions from this sector have generally declined over the past two decades due to reduced coal usage, they remain higher than the total output of all but a handful of nations.
The United States currently stands as the second-largest emitter of planet-warming gases worldwide, trailing only China. President Donald Trump has historically advocated for a revival of the coal industry and criticized renewable energy sources like wind and solar.
The long-term impact of today’s announcement on domestic emissions and global climate trends remains unclear. Some researchers doubt that coal will experience a significant resurgence, citing the steep decline in costs for clean technologies such as solar power over the last decade. Prior modeling by the independent Rhodium Group suggested that rolling back climate regulations would decelerate, but not entirely reverse, emissions reductions in the US.
This development follows a 2022 Supreme Court ruling that curtailed some of the EPA’s authority to limit greenhouse gas emissions across entire states. Additionally, in February, the EPA reversed a landmark scientific determination from the Obama era which recognized greenhouse gases as a threat to public health—a ruling that faced legal challenges from multiple states.
Monday’s announcement marks the latest effort by President Trump’s administration to dismantle policies aimed at addressing global warming and climate change.
How can they claim the health risks are too uncertain when scientists have predicted 4,500 excess deaths annually under the old rules?
Is this really necessary? Solar is already cheaper than coal in most markets. The industry is moving on regardless of these rules.
Thirty-one billion in savings sounds great until we count the thousands of premature deaths it will cause each year.