Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin follows through on March pledge with formal announcement that Trump administration will roll back ‘greenhouse gas’ regulations.
Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin announced Wednesday that the Trump administration will seek to relax “Clean Power Plant” greenhouse gas and mercury emission regulations imposed under the Biden and Obama administrations.
“Today is a historic day at the EPA,” he said during a 55-minute press conference at the agency’s Washington offices. “Today, EPA is taking an important step, reclaiming sanity and sound policy, illustrating that we can both protect the environment and grow the economy.”
Zeldin said the agency will begin the rule-making process to revise the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) rule and amendments strengthening the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) rule by December.
“All of this is a proposal, we’ll go through a process and the decision will be made at the end of the process,” he said.
He also emphasized that revised rules will not allow power plants to go beyond their current emission level.
“This action is only a proposal. The public will have the opportunity to comment and provide input on the proposed rule. If finalized, no power plant will be allowed to emit more than they do today or as much as they did one or two years ago,” he said.
“Let me repeat that. If finalized, no power plant will be allowed to emit more than they do today or as much as they did one or two years ago.”
The GHG rule and MATS amendments included within it were imposed by the Biden administration in April 2024. The MATS amendments have not been implemented yet. The rules target the nation’s coal-fired power plants and the $28 billion coal industry that supplies them.
“capture” 40 percent of their emissions by 2032 and 90 percent by 2039. Power plants set to close by 2032 were exempt.
By John Haughey
