EPA to Scrap Power Plant Carbon Limits at G20 Energy Meeting in Houston

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is set to unveil a final rule on Monday that repeals carbon emission limits on coal- and gas-fired power plants, undoing a centerpiece of the Biden administration's climate policy.

The announcement will be made on the sidelines of a G20 energy ministers' meeting in Houston, where officials are expected to discuss energy security, expanding baseload power and regulatory efficiency.

The repeal follows a proposal issued last June by President Donald Trump's administration to roll back rules written under former President Joe Biden targeting carbon dioxide, mercury and other air pollutants from power plants.

Biden's carbon limits for the power sector were projected to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 1 billion metric tons by 2047. The electricity sector accounts for nearly a quarter of U.S. greenhouse gas pollution.

When the proposal was announced, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said the move would save companies $120 million a year.

Environmental groups criticized the plan, arguing it would impose far greater costs in environmental and public health damage. 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 reckless and will lead to more lost lives and suffering from intense heatwaves, drastic storms and destructive wildfires.

The final rule is part of a broader effort by the administration to unwind U.S. climate policy, which it says has hindered energy production.