Wisconsin has joined a coalition of 25 states, cities, and counties asking a federal court to overturn the EPA's repeal of the 2024 Carbon Pollution Standards for coal- and gas-fired power plants. The petition, filed October 1 in the D.C. Circuit, argues the EPA did not properly weigh alternatives or account for the health and economic costs of allowing extra emissions. The coalition is also putting the EPA on notice over its failure to regulate greenhouse gases from existing natural gas plants, including peaker plants that often sit in low-income communities and communities of color. Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul said the rule rollback will lead to more wildfire smoke, extreme weather, and health harms while boosting fossil fuel industry profits. Power plants account for roughly one-quarter of U.S. carbon dioxide emissions. The state cites a 2024 report estimating Wisconsin communities could face more than $16 billion in climate adaptation costs, and a 2020 University of Wisconsin report that extreme heat kills more state residents than other weather disasters combined.
