At a G20 energy ministers meeting in Houston, the Trump EPA finalized the repeal of 2024 Clean Air Act standards that limited carbon emissions from existing coal plants and new gas plants. Those rules would have cut CO2 pollution by up to 90 percent and effectively required carbon capture on smokestacks. The agency also proposed a broader rule claiming it lacks legal authority to regulate greenhouse gases from the power sector, which accounts for roughly a quarter of US emissions. Environmental groups and legal experts say the two actions contradict each other and expect lawsuits. The EPA says the repeal saves $310 billion, a figure critics dispute. The rollback follows the administration's earlier move to overturn the 2009 Endangerment Finding and its withdrawal from the Paris accord. For carbon market watchers, the practical question is whether state-level programs and utility planning can fill the federal gap.
