A coalition of 21 states plus the District of Columbia filed a lawsuit challenging the EPA's September repeal of greenhouse gas emissions rules for fossil fuel power plants. The states argue the repeal ignores the Clean Air Act and fails to account for the health and climate costs of additional CO2 emissions. New York Attorney General Letitia James is leading the challenge. The repealed rules included emissions guidelines for existing fossil fuel plants and carbon capture requirements for modified coal plants and new natural gas plants. The EPA also proposed rescinding the 2015 greenhouse gas finding for power plants, which would make future regulation harder. The states are asking a court to strike down the repeal and are also signaling a separate suit over EPA's failure to regulate existing gas plants. The case matters because power plants remain a major source of US carbon emissions. If the court blocks the repeal, it could preserve a federal pathway for limiting power sector emissions. If not, states with their own clean energy standards may carry more of the burden.
