Utilities are adjusting their long-term plans as the Trump administration moves to repeal Biden-era carbon capture requirements for power plants. Many are proposing new gas plants without the expectation of strict federal climate rules, but their planning documents show they still see future regulation as a real risk. Integrated resource plans from companies like Duke Energy and Entergy reveal a split approach. Some are dropping carbon price assumptions, while others include scenarios where EPA reimposes limits by 2030. The uncertainty matters because new gas plants approved today could become stranded assets if policy shifts again, leaving ratepayers to foot the bill. The article highlights a key tension: utilities want regulatory certainty to invest, but the history of climate policy whiplash means they cannot fully ignore the possibility of future carbon constraints. This makes state-level planning and public utility commission decisions critical for the pace of grid decarbonization.
