Key facts
- The EPA is proposing to repeal remaining greenhouse gas standards for power plants.
- The Trump administration's EPA claims the repeal will save $370 million in compliance costs.
- The EPA previously removed climate regulations for the power and transportation sectors.
- Resources for the Future estimates elevated emissions could lead to health damages costing up to $476 billion.
- The Biden administration's EPA had projected reductions of 1.38 billion metric tons of carbon pollution through 2047 under previous standards.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is moving to repeal the remaining greenhouse gas regulations for power plants, a move critics argue is designed to make it extremely difficult for future administrations to reinstate such rules. This action completes the Trump administration's efforts to dismantle climate regulations for both the power and transportation sectors, which are the two largest sources of climate emissions in the United States.
In announcing the proposed repeal, the EPA stated that unleashing coal and natural gas would save $310 billion under previous regulations and that rescinding the remaining greenhouse gas standards for the power sector would save an additional $370 million in direct compliance costs. The agency also projected further savings for American families and businesses. However, independent studies, including one by the nonprofit group Resources for the Future, suggest that coal power is already driving higher utility costs and that the elevated emissions from repealing these rules could lead to health damages costing up to $476 billion.
Critics, such as Hoover, argue that the administration is heavily discounting or refusing to quantify public health benefits in its cost-benefit analyses for regulations. In contrast, the Biden administration's EPA had projected that its Carbon Pollution Standards would substantially outweigh compliance costs, leading to reductions of 1.38 billion metric tons of carbon pollution through 2047.