WASHINGTON — The Environmental Protection Agency announced Monday it is repealing rules that restrict greenhouse gas emissions from power plants fueled by coal and natural gas, claiming the action would save the industry more than $300 billion in costs.
The EPA also proposed a separate rule designed to prevent future administrations from regulating climate pollution from power plants. That proposal is expected to be finalized next year.
The rule change, initially proposed last year, marks a sharp reversal from the climate and industrial pollution efforts pursued by Presidents Joe Biden and Barack Obama.
EPA Assistant Administrator Aaron Szabo said the change allows utilities to make decisions based on ratepayer needs and prevents utilities from being forced to close aging or inefficient plants.
Environmental groups immediately condemned the repeal, saying it would harm Americans' health and degrade the environment. Legal challenges are expected once the rule is published in the Federal Register.
The announcement builds on an EPA move in February that revoked a scientific finding that had underpinned U.S. efforts to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from cars and trucks. The new power plant rule extends that approach to stationary sources.
The timing of Monday's announcement coincided with a G20 ministerial meeting on "energy abundance" hosted in Houston by EPA chief Lee Zeldin, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, and Energy Secretary Chris Wright. The move reflects the Trump administration's message to international allies at the summit, many of whom have advocated for stricter environmental policies.
President Donald Trump has previously called climate change "the greatest con job ever perpetrated on the world" during a speech to the United Nations. His administration withdrew the U.S. from the 2015 Paris climate accord for the second time.
