gray concrete towers under white clouds and blue sky during daytime

US Scraps Climate Pollution Limits on Power Plants

natureSep 20, 2026·377 words·3 min read

On Monday, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) repealed most of the limits on climate-warming greenhouse gases from power plants that burn coal and natural gas. The rules, introduced in 2024 under President Joe Biden, would have required existing coal plants and new gas plants to sharply cut their carbon dioxide emissions from the 2030s; coal plants, for example, would have had to capture smokestack pollution or shut down.

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.

Read at other levels

A1Beginner88w A2Elementary130w B1Intermediate214w B2Upper-Intermediate300wPro

C1Advanced377w(current · Pro)