Tough New EPA Rules Would Force Coal-Fired Power Plants To Capture Emissions

"WASHINGTON — Coal-fired power plants would be forced to capture smokestack emissions or shut down under a rule issued Thursday by the Environmental Protection Agency.

New limits on greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel-fired electric plants are the Biden administration’s most ambitious effort yet to roll back planet-warming pollution from the power sector, the nation’s second-largest contributor to climate change. The rules are a key part of President Joe Biden’s pledge to eliminate carbon pollution from the electricity sector by 2035 and economy-wide by 2050.

The rule was among four separate measures targeting coal and natural gas plants that the EPA said would provide “regular certainty” to the power industry and encourage them to make investments to transition “to a clean energy economy.” They also include requirements to reduce toxic wastewater pollutants from coal-fired plants and to safely manage so-called coal ash in unlined storage ponds."

Matthew Daly reports for the Associated Press April 25, 2024.

SEE ALSO:

"New Biden Climate Rules Could Shutter Remaining American Coal Plants" (New York Times)

"Five Things to Know About Biden’s New Power Plant Rules" (New York Times)

"The EPA’s New Power Plant Pollution Rule Has A Big, Gassy Hole In It" (The Verge)

"EPA To Announce New Energy Standards Aimed At Cleaner Air And Curbing Climate Change" (USA TODAY)

"EPA Unleashes Power Plant Climate Blitz" (E&E News)

"Biden Administration Aims To Clean Up Power Sector With Revamped Rules" (Reuters)

Source: AP, 04/25/2024