The Environmental Protection Agency on Monday, Sept. 14, finalized the repeal of most of the 2024 Carbon Pollution Standards for fossil fuel-fired power plants, including requirements built around carbon capture and storage. According to the EPA rule page, Administrator Lee Zeldin signed the final partial repeal that day.

The agency paired it with a larger step. A supplemental proposal would rescind EPA's greenhouse gas findings for fossil fuel-fired power plants and repeal every remaining power plant greenhouse gas standard under Section 111 of the Clean Air Act. EPA is proposing that Congress never gave it authority under that section to regulate power plant emissions to address global climate change.

That second action is the bigger long-term story. The Associated Press reported that it could prevent future administrations from regulating climate pollution from power plants. Coal, gas and oil-fired plants are responsible for about one-quarter of the nation's total climate pollution, second only to transportation.

The Power Plant Standards Being Removed

According to EPA's fact sheet on both actions, the final repeal covers three sets of requirements: emission guidelines for existing coal-, oil- and gas-fired steam generating units, carbon capture-based standards for existing coal plants undertaking a large modification, and carbon capture-based standards for new baseload natural gas turbines.

Under the 2024 rule, coal-fired plants would have had to capture smokestack emissions or shut down, the AP noted. EPA now says those requirements relied on technology not available at the scale and pace needed. The agency estimates the final rule will save Americans and the power sector up to $310 billion and says coal production for power sector use is expected to increase more than tenfold. Both figures are EPA's own projections.

The repeal takes effect soon after publication in the Federal Register, the AP reported. EPA Assistant Administrator Aaron Szabo said the change will let utilities decide what is best for ratepayers based on cost, instead of being required to shut down facilities.

A Proposal Aimed at the Legal Foundation

The supplemental proposal would remove the standards that remain, including partial carbon capture-based standards for new coal-fired steam units and efficiency-based standards for new or reconstructed combustion turbines. EPA cites its earlier repeal of the 2009 endangerment finding and the Supreme Court's Loper Bright decision in support. The AP reported that the February action repealing the endangerment finding eliminated all greenhouse gas standards for cars and trucks.

EPA also claims that power plant greenhouse gas emissions have no material impact on global climate change and describes the causal relationship between greenhouse gases and climate change as too uncertain to justify regulation. That position conflicts with the established science. NASA states that human activities are driving the global warming trend observed since the mid-20th century, and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has called human influence on warming an established fact. The announcement came four days after NOAA's global climate report found that August was the warmest in its 1850 to 2026 record.

EPA estimates the supplemental proposal would save $370 million in compliance costs over 20 years. The agency will hold a virtual public hearing 15 days after the proposal is published in the Federal Register, and the comment period will run 45 days after publication. The AP said the proposal is expected to be finalized next year.

Health, Bills and the Grid Reliability Debate

The two sides disagree sharply on costs and benefits. The Natural Resources Defense Council noted that EPA estimated in 2024 that the standards now being repealed would deliver a net $370 billion in climate and health benefits. An NRDC analysis, which comes from an advocacy group rather than a neutral source, projects that the administration's broader policies will raise consumer electricity bills by more than $30 billion a year by 2035. NRDC President Manish Bapna said the group plans to sue. "We will see them in court," he said.

Environmental Defense Fund general counsel Vickie Patton said removing the protections "will have enormous costs for the health, safety and well-being of families across the country." An AP examination published last year estimated that the broader set of EPA rules targeted for rollback could prevent about 30,000 deaths and save $275 billion each year they remain in effect.

The coal industry sees it differently. Michelle Bloodworth, CEO of America's Power, a trade group for the U.S. coal fleet, said lifting the rule "will protect grid reliability and shield electricity consumers from higher costs" at a time of surging demand from data centers, artificial intelligence and advanced manufacturing.

For households, nothing changes on this month's power bill. Rates are set through state utility commission proceedings and depend on fuel prices, grid investment and demand. People living near coal and gas plants have the most direct stake in air quality, because EPA's 2024 analysis said the standards would also reduce soot, smog and mercury pollution.

Lawsuits, Comments and the Road Ahead

Legal challenges are expected on both actions. NRDC and its allies say they will go to court over the final repeal, and the AP reported that environmental groups are also likely to challenge the proposal.

Members of the public can follow the rulemaking through the regulations.gov docket EPA lists, numbered EPA-HQ-OAR-2025-0124, and EPA says it will post hearing details there soon.

The announcements came as Zeldin, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and Energy Secretary Chris Wright hosted a G20 energy ministerial meeting in Houston. Taken together, a final repeal and a proposal to remove the legal basis for future rules mark a sweeping federal retreat from regulating power plant climate pollution.

The key dates to watch are Federal Register publication, which starts the hearing and comment clocks, and the first court filings. Nature World News will track both.

What Readers Want to Know

What did EPA do on Sept. 14? It finalized the repeal of most 2024 power plant carbon standards and proposed repealing all remaining power plant greenhouse gas standards.

Were carbon capture requirements removed? Most were. The final repeal removes carbon capture-based standards for existing coal plants making large modifications and for new baseload gas turbines. Partial carbon capture standards for new coal units remain unless the proposal is finalized.

Will my electric bill change? Not immediately. EPA predicts savings, while NRDC projects higher consumer costs. Bills depend on state rate decisions and fuel prices.

Is the science on climate change in dispute? No. NASA says human activities are driving the warming trend observed since the mid-20th century. EPA's claims about uncertainty are part of its legal argument.

Can the public comment? Yes. Comments on the proposal will be accepted for 45 days after it is published in the Federal Register.