[Note: The following is a fact sheet from the EPA on a proposed rules for greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) from power plants fueled by fossil fuels.]
On May 11, 2023, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced proposed new carbon pollution standards for coal and gas-fired power plants that will protect public health, reduce harmful pollutants and deliver up to $85 billion in climate and public health benefits over the next two decades. Consistent with EPA’s traditional approach to establishing pollution standards under the Clean Air Act, the proposed limits and guidelines require ambitious reductions in carbon pollution based on proven and cost-effective control technologies that can be applied directly to power plants. They also provide owners and operators of power plants with ample lead time and substantial compliance flexibilities, allowing power companies and grid operators to make sound long-term planning and investment decisions, and supporting the power sector’s ability to continue delivering reliable and affordable electricity.
President Biden’s policy agenda has driven momentum in the power sector to cut GHGs moving us closer to avoiding the worst impacts of climate change. Together with other recent EPA actions to address health-harming pollution from the power sector, the proposed rules deliver on the Administration’s commitment to reduce pollution from the power sector while providing long-term regulatory certainty and operational flexibility.
EPA is proposing Clean Air Act emission limits and guidelines for carbon dioxide (CO2) from fossil fuel-fired power plants based on cost-effective and available control technologies. The power sector is the largest stationary source of greenhouse gases (GHGs), emitting 25 percent of the overall domestic emissions in 2021. These emissions are almost entirely the result of the combustion of fossil fuels in the electric generating units (EGUs) that are the subjects of these proposals.