"E.P.A. to Propose First Controls on Greenhouse Gases From Power Plants"

"If the regulation is implemented, it will be the first time the federal government has limited carbon emissions from existing power plants, which generate 25 percent of U.S. greenhouse gases."

"WASHINGTON — President Biden’s administration is poised to announce limits on greenhouse gas emissions from power plants that could compel them to capture the pollution from their smokestacks, technology now used by fewer than 20 of the nation’s 3,400 coal and gas-fired plants, according to three people who were briefed on the rule.

If implemented, the proposed regulation would be the first time the federal government has restricted carbon dioxide emissions from existing power plants, which generate about 25 percent of the planet-warming pollution produced by the United States. It would also apply to future plants.

Almost all coal and gas-fired power plants would have to cut or capture nearly all of their carbon dioxide emissions by 2040, according to the people familiar with the regulation, who asked not to be identified because the rule has not been made public.

The proposed rule is sure to face opposition from the fossil fuel industry, power plant operators and their allies in Congress. It is likely to draw an immediate legal challenge from a group of Republican attorneys general that has already sued the Biden administration to stop other climate policies. A future administration could also weaken the regulation."

Coral Davenport and Lisa Friedman report for the New York Times April 22, 2023.

SEE ALSO:

"Biden Plans To Slash Planet-Warming Pollution From Power Plants" (Bloomberg)

"EPA Plan Would Impose Drastic Cuts On Power Plant Emissions By 2040" (Washington Post)

"How The Clean Air Act Lets Closed Coal Plants Keep Polluting For Years" (Reuters)

Source: NYTimes, 04/24/2023