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EPA Repeals Greenhouse Rules for Coal and Gas Plants

By Drooid · Sep 15, 2026, 4:03 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin announced repeal of greenhouse-gas limits for coal and natural-gas plants.
The final rule could appear Monday at the G20 energy ministers’ meeting in Houston.
The rollback removes standards projected to prevent 1,200 premature deaths by 2035 and $120 billion health benefits through 2047.
Sierra Club and Natural Resources Defense Council will challenge the repeal in courts and Congress.
Aging coal plants must stay online past retirement dates.

History

Historical Context

The 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments, signed by President George H.W. Bush, imposed a cap-and-trade limit that cut U.S. sulfur-dioxide emissions by about 10 million tons and, according to the EPA, averted roughly 30,000 premature deaths by 2005. Building on that precedent, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin in 2025 announced plans to repeal the 2015 Clean Power Plan, prompting lawsuits from the Sierra Club and NRDC.

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Story summary

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin announced repeal of greenhouse-gas limits for coal and natural-gas plants.
The final rule could appear Monday at the G20 energy ministers’ meeting in Houston.
The rollback removes standards projected to prevent 1,200 premature deaths by 2035 and $120 billion health benefits through 2047.
Sierra Club and Natural Resources Defense Council will challenge the repeal in courts and Congress.
Aging coal plants must stay online past retirement dates.

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