EPA Rolls Back Power Plant Emissions Limits

The Trump administration’s EPA has rolled back Biden-era greenhouse-gas limits on coal- and natural-gas-fired power plants and proposed eliminating most remaining federal limits on their climate pollution. EPA and industry supporters say the changes could reduce compliance costs, keep more generating capacity online and potentially lower electricity prices; the agency estimates roughly $160 billion in power-sector savings through 2047, though that figure does not represent direct household savings. Democrats, environmental groups and public-health experts warn the policy could increase air pollution and emissions while weakening protections against climate change. Christine Todd Whitman, a former Republican EPA administrator, called the rollback “unconscionable,” arguing that the agency is abandoning its core mission to protect human health and the environment, particularly for children and older adults. The broader deregulatory effort has included the repeal or review of more than 100 EPA rules, drawing criticism from former officials in both parties.