Environmental groups sue EPA over rollback of power plant carbon emission limits

The Natural Resources Defense Council, American Lung Association, and other environmental and public health groups filed a lawsuit in the D.C. Circuit challenging the EPA's repeal of Biden-era carbon pollution standards for fossil fuel power plants. The suit argues the agency violated the Clean Air Act by removing the limits without a replacement, pointing to legal precedent that requires EPA to address climate pollution from the largest industrial source in the country. The EPA finalized a partial repeal on Monday, citing reduced compliance costs and grid reliability benefits, and has separately proposed eliminating remaining greenhouse gas standards. New coal and gas plants still face 2015-era limits, but existing coal plants lose the carbon capture requirements. This case is the latest in a back-and-forth over federal authority to regulate power sector emissions, following the Supreme Court's 2022 ruling in West Virginia v. EPA.