EPA repeals Biden-era carbon emissions limits for US coal and gas power plants

Deregulation announced in Houston

On 14 September 2026, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the final repeal of federal carbon emission limits for coal-fired and natural gas-fired power plants. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin delivered the decision during a gathering of G20 energy ministers in Houston, Texas, where discussions focused on energy security and baseload capacity. The move dismantles standards introduced in 2024 under former President Joe Biden that required existing coal and new gas facilities to reduce emissions or cease operations by 2039. The repealed Biden administration policy aimed to cut 1 billion metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions by 2047. Electricity generation accounts for nearly a quarter of total US greenhouse gas pollution, trailing only transportation as the second-largest domestic source.

Legal and regulatory rollback

Alongside the rule repeal, the EPA proposed a separate measure to formally revoke its statutory authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from power plants under Section 111 of the Clean Air Act. The agency took the legal stance that greenhouse gases do not constitute pollutants subject to federal power plant regulation under current law. This step follows the EPA's February 2026 revocation of the 2009 Endangerment Finding, which had classified carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases as threats to public health following the 2007 Supreme Court ruling in Massachusetts v. EPA. If finalized, the action would establish legal barriers to prevent future administrations from reinstating power sector carbon caps. Zeldin characterized the dual measures as an effort to dismantle past energy restrictions.

The days of Biden and Obama working to destroy natural gas and coal are over.

Economic claims and grid demand

The Trump administration framed the rollback as a necessity to expand electricity production, lower consumer bills, and support power-intensive industries such as data centers and artificial intelligence. Zeldin stated that repealing the 2024 power plant rules would generate more than $310 billion in savings for American households, while stripping Clean Air Act authority over the sector would yield an additional $370 billion in consumer savings. An EPA statement released at the summit projected that coal burning for electricity generation could expand more than tenfold under the deregulated framework. According to the US Energy Information Administration, natural gas accounted for 41% of total US electricity production in 2025, while coal generated 17%.

Environmental response and legal challenges

Environmental and legal groups pledged immediate court challenges against the repeal, arguing the rollback ignores scientific evidence on climate change and endangers public health. Legal scholars noted that the administration is seeking a definitive ruling from federal courts to permanently limit executive power over emissions.

They are swinging for the fences to try to prevent any administration from regulating one of the largest sources of emission for the United States.

Environmental attorneys also noted that eliminating carbon limits will increase local air pollutants alongside global emissions. Maggie Coulter, an attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity's Climate Law Institute, condemned the regulatory reversal in response to recent climate extremes.

Denying the existence of a quarter of the country's climate pollution is utterly reckless. It will lead to more lost lives and suffering from intense heatwaves, drastic storms and destructive wildfires, just like those we've seen this summer.