HOUSTON, September 14 — The United States Environmental Protection Agency said Monday it is repealing rules that limit greenhouse gas emissions from coal and gas power plants, undoing protections that had been in place for decades. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin announced the repeal at a news conference in Houston, saying, “Americans have been demanding more common sense at federal agencies under President [Donald] Trump’s leadership.
That means cutting red tape so we can build new power-generating infrastructure.” The EPA estimated the changes would eliminate more than $300bn in costs for power plants. The agency also proposed a separate rule, expected to be made final next year, that could prevent future administrations from returning and again regulating greenhouse gas emissions from power plants.
EPA officials said the change would allow utilities to make the best decisions for their ratepayers rather than be forced to close aging or inefficient plants.
A repeal years in the making
The announcement was made on the sidelines of a G20 ministerial meeting in Houston on “energy abundance,” a nod to the important role oil-rich Texas plays in the energy industry and a potential snub of European and other international allies. The EPA has rolled back a series of environmental oversight rules since US President Donald Trump returned to office in 2025.
In February, it revoked a 2009 scientific finding that determined that carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases threaten public health and welfare, a stance that allowed for regulation of motor vehicles, power plants and other industrial sources of air pollution. At the time, Trump celebrated the change, calling it “the single largest deregulatory action in American history.” Health and environmental advocacy groups filed a lawsuit challenging the revocation of that finding in February, saying it will risk the health and welfare of US citizens.
Legal challenges expected
The lifting of restrictions is expected to be challenged by environmental groups, who say it would come at a cost to the health of Americans and further degrade the environment. Maggie Coulter, an attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity’s Climate Law Institute, said: “Denying the existence of a quarter of the country’s climate pollution is utterly reckless.
It will lead to more lost lives and suffering from intense heatwaves, drastic storms and destructive wildfires, just like those we’ve seen this summer.” Democratic Senator Patty Murray of Washington said in a statement on X: “Trump wants to let power plants pollute as much as they want. This will result in serious health risks for families, our water and air, and the entire planet.” She added: “Americans want clean air and clean water.
We all need to speak up to stop this.” The rescinding of restrictions on coal and gas power plant emissions announced on Monday is expected to similarly be challenged in court. What happens next will depend on whether the proposed follow-on rule is made final next year, and on how the courts treat the challenges already filed and those expected.
