US power sector pushes back against climate regulations

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Major US utilities are backing the Trump administration's plan to eliminate emissions standards for power plants. 

The administration argues America’s coal and gas plants contribute minimally to global air pollution, with utilities filing comments supporting EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin's proposal to scrap carbon capture requirements and emissions standards entirely.

The power sector also opposes new continuous emissions monitoring for coal plants. They say they’ve already eliminated most mercury emissions so spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to install new monitors would have little if any benefit.

However, Biden's EPA found these systems detected emission rates nine times higher than current quarterly tests reveal.

The stakes are significant. Power plants are America's second-largest source of greenhouse gases. 

The one thing the industry and climate advocates can agree on: that the regulatory whiplash has to stop. This uncertainty is creating investment challenges as utilities face rising electricity demand, and ultimately taxpayers will bear the costs.