EPA Moves to End Carbon Limits for Coal and Gas Power Plants
The Environmental Protection Agency said it will remove all limits on climate pollution from coal and gas power plants, which produce about one-quarter of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. The plan was reported on Sept. 16. The Guardian
Administrator Lee Zeldin signed the final Partial Repeal of the Carbon Pollution Standards for fossil fuel-fired electric generating units on Sept. 14, 2026. That order ends most of the 2024 rules on greenhouse gases, pollution that traps heat in the atmosphere, from coal- and gas-fired plants. At the same time, the agency proposed repealing all remaining greenhouse gas standards for those plants. It said it will hold a virtual public hearing on the proposed Repeal of the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Standards for Fossil Fuel-Fired Electric Generating Units.
The plan was flagged in advance. On Sept. 13, 2026, Reuters, citing Bloomberg News, reported the EPA was poised to repeal carbon standards for gas and coal power plants. Reuters The agency headlined its September power-plant action as delivering $300+ billion in savings. EPA It later specified that reversing the 2024 Biden-era carbon pollution standards will save $310 billion and save billions of dollars in compliance costs for the power sector. Compliance costs are the money plant owners spend to follow rules. The agency said revoking the Biden-era rule would help "unleash" American energy. Associated Press
Zeldin said Americans will see a decrease in electricity prices. The Regulatory Impact Analysis, the agency's official forecast of costs and effects, projects retail electricity prices will be 0.7% higher in 2030 as a result of the rule change. It states power prices will not drop until the mid-2030s and beyond. It finds coal delivered for power will be 27.3% more expensive than otherwise by 2045.
The EPA previously found the 2024 pollution standards would provide up to $370 billion in net climate and public health benefits over two decades. An NRDC analysis found people in the U.S. will spend an extra $30 billion a year on electricity by 2035 due to Trump's policies. The Guardian EPA stated that models continue to show greenhouse gas emissions from power plants have no material impact on global climate change. EPA
The broader context here is the split between a partial repeal already signed and a full repeal only proposed. The Sept. 14 final action removes most 2024 requirements for fossil units while leaving the residual standards in place pending notice, comment and the virtual hearing. That two-track structure creates parallel timelines for compliance and court cases. Utilities must decide on investments and plant retirements under interim rules the agency intends to erase entirely.
In my view, the savings claims need to be read as separate accounts. The $310 billion figure counts avoided compliance costs for owners and operators. The $370 billion figure counts foregone climate and health benefits spread across the public. The $30 billion a year figure counts retail spending on electricity, which reflects rates, demand growth and power supply. Mixing them hides tradeoffs that regulators, planners and courts will need to sort out.
