Trump EPA Rule Rollback Reignites Carbon Capture Feasibility Fight

The Trump administration's decision to unwind a 2024 EPA rule that required carbon capture on coal and new gas plants has reopened a legal and technical battle over whether the technology is economically viable. In the upcoming litigation, the government will argue that carbon capture is too expensive for utilities to deploy, a reversal of the Biden EPA's position that it was both feasible and necessary. This shift puts the administration in the awkward spot of undermining a technology it continues to subsidize through tax credits like 45Q. At stake is whether the courts accept the EPA's new cost-based reasoning or side with environmental groups and states that argue the rollback ignores the urgent need to cut emissions from the power sector. The outcome could shape how much new gas capacity gets built without carbon controls, potentially locking in emissions for decades. For anyone tracking carbon markets or grid decarbonization, this case is a key signal on the future of CCS deployment and regulatory certainty.