EPA Wants End Date on Emissions From Power Plants

Supreme Court blocked attempt during Obama administration
By Bob Cronin,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 22, 2023 3:05 PM CDT
EPA Tries Again on Emissions From Power Plants
   (Getty/martin_33)

The Environmental Protection Agency wants power plants to almost eliminate their carbon dioxide emissions, an effort blocked by the Supreme Court during President Barack Obama's administration. The Biden administration proposal, which is still being developed, probably would force fossil fuel-burning plants to capture the carbon dioxide emissions from their smokestacks with technology, or switch to other fuels to meet the new limits, by 2040, the Washington Post reports. Fewer than 20 of the 3,400 coal and gas-fired plants in the US now use such technology, per the New York Times.

President Biden has promised such regulations were on the way, but the EPA has been trying to craft rules that will survive a Supreme Court test. The court ruled that Obama's broad pollution limits were beyond his authority, and former President Donald Trump then rolled them back. The court said last year that the EPA can enact limited regulations on power plants' carbon emissions. The strictest rules wouldn't kick in until the 2030s. EPA data show electric power generation to account for one-fourth of the nation's greenhouse gas emissions, though the amount has been falling. It could be a week or so before the final version is announced. A spokeswoman said the EPA is "moving urgently to advance standards that protect people and the planet." (More greenhouse-gas emissions stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X