US Revokes Limits on Power Plants' Climate Pollution
Points and comments are a snapshot, not live.
EPA repeals 2024 limits on power plant carbon emissions, gutting climate pollution rules.
The EPA announced on September 14 it is repealing the 2024 Carbon Pollution Standards for coal and gas-fired power plants, which required existing coal plants and new gas plants to capture 90% of carbon emissions or shut down by 2039. The Biden-era rule was projected to reduce carbon pollution by 1.38 billion metric tons through 2047 and prevent 1,200 deaths and 360,000 asthma attacks in 2035 alone. The EPA claimed the repeal would save businesses $370 million in regulatory costs but did not estimate health costs; it had earlier stopped factoring health costs into pollution limit economic impacts. The agency also proposed removing all remaining greenhouse gas requirements for power plants, arguing these emissions do not impact climate change.
What commenters are saying
Commenters are broadly critical of the repeal, viewing it as a serious setback for climate action driven by short-term value extraction. Many note that the revoked limits were only in place for under two years, making the rollback a return to pre-2024 standards. A recurring theme is that the U.S. is undermining global progress, though several commenters cite China's continued coal plant construction as counter-evidence. Others argue that renewable energy is reliable with storage, and that the math for clean energy transitions works. Some commenters express resignation about future warming levels and generational harm.