Share to ClassroomUS Ends Pollution Limits for Power Plants
On Monday, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ended most of its limits on pollution from coal and gas power plants. These rules came from President Joe Biden's government in 2024. They said power plants must cut their carbon dioxide, a gas that warms the planet, from the 2030s. Coal plants would have to catch the pollution from their chimneys or close. EPA head Lee Zeldin shared the news at an energy meeting in Houston, Texas. He also wants to remove all the other climate rules for power plants.
Zeldin says Biden's rules went too far and tried to close power plants. The EPA says the change will save the industry $310 billion. It also says US power plants do not change the world's climate very much. Energy Secretary Chris Wright says coal and gas give the country steady electricity. But power plants make about a quarter of the country's climate pollution.
The EPA expects much more coal to be used for electricity, and Zeldin promises lower bills. Environmental groups are worried. A study by the Associated Press news agency says the rules could stop about 30,000 deaths every year. Without the rules, there will be more dirty air and more planet-warming gases. Several groups plan to go to court to stop the decision.
