The Trump administration is expected to finalize the repeal of the Biden-era EPA rule that limited carbon emissions from power plants. That rule gave utilities a choice: retire coal plants by the 2030s or install carbon capture technology. The repeal removes federal pressure to cut power sector emissions and is likely to delay coal retirements, especially as data center demand boosts electricity loads. Coal is the largest source of cumulative global carbon emissions, and U.S. power sector emissions have already fallen nearly 50% over the past two decades, largely due to cheap natural gas. But without the rule, the remaining coal fleet may run longer. The EPA estimates the Biden rule would have prevented over 1,200 premature deaths and $370 billion in health damages by 2035. The repeal also follows the agency's earlier move to withdraw the endangerment finding for greenhouse gases.
