WASHINGTON, September 1 — The White House has initiated a formal review of a supplemental proposal aimed at permanently ending the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) regulation of carbon emissions from power plants, a move that could significantly reshape the legal and regulatory landscape for greenhouse gas oversight in the United States.
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) website confirmed the submission of the proposal on Monday, August 24, 2026, with the expectation that it will be released alongside a final rule that would repeal 2024 standards requiring coal-fired and certain new gas-fired power plants to capture and store most of their greenhouse gas emissions.
The draft, as reported by E&E News on August 26, 2026, would not only undo the Biden-era rules but also strip the EPA of broader authority to regulate climate pollution from the power sector under the Clean Air Act. The power industry remains the largest industrial source of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S., making this proposal a critical juncture in federal environmental policy.
The supplemental proposal’s entry into White House review marks a significant step in the Trump administration’s broader efforts to limit federal climate regulation, potentially reshaping the legal landscape for greenhouse gas oversight. The timing of the final repeal package remains uncertain, with utilities urging the EPA to finalize the rollback of carbon capture and sequestration requirements.
However, the agency may delay until after the Supreme Court hears the landmark case, Suncor v. Boulder, scheduled for oral arguments on October 5, 2026. The proposal is expected to mirror the EPA’s earlier repeal of the so-called endangerment finding, but it could complicate arguments made by the oil industry and the Justice Department in the case.
The supplemental proposal’s submission comes amid a broader effort by the Trump administration to roll back federal climate regulation, a move that has drawn scrutiny from environmental advocates and legal experts. The EPA did not immediately respond to a request for comment, leaving many questions about the full scope and implications of the proposal unanswered.
