EPA to repeal carbon pollution standards for US gas and coal power plants

The US Environmental Protection Agency is set to formally repeal carbon pollution standards for coal and gas fired power plants, according to Bloomberg News. The move, expected as soon as Monday during the G20 energy ministers meeting in Houston, would undo rules passed under the Biden administration that also targeted mercury and other air pollutants. This is part of a broader Trump administration strategy to remove environmental regulations seen as barriers to industrial development and energy production. Biden's original rules were projected to cut greenhouse gas emissions by one billion metric tons by 2047. The electricity sector accounts for nearly a quarter of US greenhouse gas pollution, so the repeal could significantly slow domestic decarbonization progress. The EPA also plans to propose a separate rule that would rescind the federal finding that greenhouse gases from power plants pose a specific public health threat, which would have legal implications beyond just this one set of standards.