Expected to be released by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) soon, the proposal mandates coal- and natural gas-fired power plants to cut or capture the majority of their carbon dioxide emissions by 2040, marking the first-ever federal action to curb power plant emissions.
Despite the EPA declining to comment, spokesperson Maria Michalos reiterated the agency’s commitment to addressing air pollution and protecting future generations.
“EPA cannot comment because the proposals are currently under interagency review,” Michalos said in a statement.
“But we have been clear from the start that we will use all of our legally-upheld tools, grounded in decades-old bipartisan laws, to address dangerous air pollution and protect the air our children breathe today and for generations to come,” she continued.
The EPA expects to issue a proposed rule in spring 2023 and promulgate a final rule by summer 2024, according to an Office of Management and Budget filing from late last year. Currently, no EPA regulations limit emissions from existing electric generating units.
With 3,393 fossil fuel-fired power plants nationwide, mostly natural gas, these facilities generate over 60% of the country’s electricity. In contrast, wind and solar projects generate approximately 14% of the nation’s power supply.
EPA data reveals that the electric power sector is responsible for about 25% of total U.S. emissions, ranking it behind the transportation sector but slightly ahead of the industrial sector.
Fossil fuel power plants have been targeted by environmentalists and Democratic lawmakers due to their significant emissions, as they push for a reduction to combat climate change.
President Biden has committed to a 52% total emission reduction by 2030 and a carbon pollution-free power sector by 2035. The Natural Resources Defense Council, a prominent environmental group, has urged the EPA to set affordable power plant carbon standards under the Clean Air Act and finalize them by early next year.
However, the fossil fuel industry has voiced concerns over the proposal, stating that the U.S. power grid remains heavily dependent on coal, natural gas, and petroleum.
Michelle Bloodworth, the president and CEO of America’s Power, a coal power trade group, criticized the regulation as the latest step in President Biden’s anti-fossil fuels agenda, arguing it could lead to...
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