EPA Plans to Repeal Biden-Era Pollution Standards for Coal and Gas Power Plants

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is expected to repeal carbon pollution limits for coal and gas power plants on Monday. Outlets on the left highlighted opposition from environmentalists and energy experts, while outlets on the right emphasized the potential for lowering energy costs and maintaining American power plants.

The Details: Current policies on pollution regulation were imposed under Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden and aimed to curb emissions of carbon dioxide, mercury, and other air pollutants that are believed to be linked to climate change. To comply with current regulations, coal plants could have used technology to trap and store carbon emissions, and gas plants could have operated on fuels such as hydrogen, which does not produce carbon emissions, according to New York Times (Lean Left bias). In June, when plans for this change were first announced, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said the administration said that this change would "deliver savings to American families on electricity bills, and it will ensure that they have the electricity that they need today."

For Context: According to Washington Examiner (Lean Right), fossil fuel power plants have accounted for about 5% of global emissions since 1990. New York Times reported that power plants are the "second largest source of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the United States."

How the Media Covered It: Left outlets focused coverage on how this change could impact climate change and global warming, with the Times framing it as "the administration's erasure of the most consequential climate policies of Presidents Joseph R. Biden Jr. and Barack Obama." The Times also reported that the Biden administration also "estimated that the regulation would also prevent other pollutants, such as soot, from escaping into the air, resulting in $120 billion in public health benefits by 2047." Washington Examiner noted that some power industry experts said that the technology required to meet current requirements "does not yet exist, and that the rules would effectively close most plants." Reuters (Center) framed the repeal as "​an important ​step in Trump's ⁠broader strategy on environmental regulations he views as unnecessary barriers to industrial development ​and expanded energy production."

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