US rolls back power‑plant climate rules at G20 summit
At a G20 meeting in Houston, the US EPA announced the biggest deregulation of power‑plant emissions in decades, overturning Biden‑era climate rules.
G20 energy ministers gathered in Houston this week as the United States unveiled a sweeping reversal of power‑plant climate regulations. Lee Zeldin, the Environmental Protection Agency administrator, said the agency was eliminating the 2024 standards set under the Clean Air Act and was filing a new rule that claims the agency lacks authority to regulate greenhouse‑gas emissions from the power sector.
What the rollback entails
The Biden‑era rules required existing coal plants and new gas facilities to cut carbon‑dioxide output by up to 90 per cent over time, a target that would have forced widespread adoption of carbon‑capture technology. The EPA now argues those targets were “impossible to meet” and that the deadlines were too tight. In the accompanying proposal, the agency also seeks to overturn the 2009 Endangerment Finding, the scientific determination that greenhouse gases threaten public health and welfare.
Reactions and legal challenges
Environmental groups immediately announced plans to sue, calling the decision “a dark day for policies that protect people from the ravages of climate change.” Rachel Cleetus of the Union of Concerned Scientists told reporters, “They are propping up fossil‑fuel industry profits and completely sidelining people’s health and well‑being.”
“Today we are cutting the red tape to deliver the largest power‑sector deregulatory action ever,” Lee Zeldin said at the press conference.
Legal experts see a clash of arguments. Meredith Hankins, a specialist at the Natural Resources Defense Council, noted that the draft repeal acknowledges the EPA’s authority but then claims the agency used the wrong approach, a contradiction that will likely be tested in court.
What lies ahead
The administration estimates the repeal will save $310 billion, with the new rule adding another $370 million in savings, figures that critics say are optimistic and will be scrutinised. If the rules are upheld, the United States could see a surge in new coal and gas projects, undermining its own climate pledges and the broader global effort to limit warming.
Meanwhile, the decision adds to a series of rollbacks under the Donald Trump‑aligned administration, including withdrawal from the Paris climate accord and the elimination of vehicle‑tailpipe standards. Courts are expected to hear challenges in the coming months, and the outcome will shape the trajectory of US climate policy for years to come.
