Trump EPA To Repeal Carbon Rules for US Coal and Gas Power Plants

The Trump EPA is finalizing the repeal of 2024 Biden-era carbon rules for greenhouse-gas standards for coal-and natural-gas-fired power plants. The move is expected to be announced today at a G20 energy ministers meeting in Houston, Texas.

The EPA just announced that with the full repeal, the change would eliminate more than $300 billion in projected industry regulations and give utilities more flexibility to keep existing plants running rather than retire them or install carbon-capture systems, the Associated Press reported Monday.

The Trump EPA officially rolled back multiple Biden-era rules affecting coal-fired power plants back in February, with two of the most significant actions being the finalized Mercury and Air Toxics Standards, “MATS” repeal and the carbon-greenhouse gas standards repeal expected today.

The change dropped tighter limits on mercury, especially for lignite plants, often called brown coal, filterable particulate matter, and the requirement for continuous emissions monitoring systems. EPA estimated about $670 million in savings.

According to Bloomberg’s Energy Connects, the 2024 Biden carbon standards for existing coal plants and new gas plant rules would have required major emissions cuts, with coal plants facing a 2039 deadline to capture most CO2 or close.

Who doesn’t remember former President Barack Obama’s public promise to ‘Bankrupt’ coal companies?

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin is expected to make the announcement at a G20 energy ministers meeting in Houston. The agency also plans a separate proposal arguing that greenhouse gases from power plants do not meet the Clean Air Act threshold for regulation. This follows the February 2026 repeal of the 2009 endangerment finding that underpinned most federal climate rules.

The environmental left claims that power plants are the largest U.S. industrial source of greenhouse gases, but offer no realistic alternatives – and wind and solar aren’t realistic or environmentally friendly. Environmental groups and public-health advocates contend the changes will increase toxic emissions and climate pollution. Naturally, legal challenges are expected.

Notably, China and India account for the majority of both existing coal generation and new construction. In the U.S., Texas has the most coal generating capacity; Pennsylvania, Indiana, and Texas have the most individual plants. Wyoming produces the majority of U.S. coal, mostly subbituminous from the Powder River Basin, which supplies many plants in the Midwest and South.

These steps are part of a broader Trump administration effort to support coal as reliable “baseload power,” reduce regulatory costs, and reverse what officials call the “war on coal.”

In the February announcement,EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said, “The Biden-Harris Administration’s anti-coal regulations sought to regulate out of existence this vital sector of our energy economy. If implemented, these actions would have destroyed reliable American energy. The Trump EPA knows that we can grow the economy, enhance baseload power, and protect human health and the environment all at the same time. It is not a binary choice and never should have been.”

“The 2012 MATS Rule—reaffirmed by the Trump EPA in 2020—is fully protective of human health risks. Although the Biden-Harris EPA agreed with this conclusion, they charged ahead with a slew of unnecessary, costly, and burdensome new requirements based in part on incomplete information,” said EPA Deputy Administrator David Fotouhi. “That mistake ends today. The Trump EPA’s action follows the rule of law and will reduce the cost of generating baseload power, lowering costs and improving reliability for consumers.”