President Donald Trump’s latest move to repeal the Biden administration’s power plant regulations marks a pivotal moment in America’s energy policy. If finalized, this proposal would not only lower electricity costs for millions of Americans but also strengthen domestic manufacturing and reduce the risk of blackouts. The public has 45 days to comment.
The new regulation, with its companion regulation to revert to 2012 standards for mercury emissions, are a bold step toward restoring energy affordability and reliability, pillars of economic growth and national security. The Biden-era rules, finalized in 2024, would have forced most coal-fired and new natural gas power plants to capture and store 90% of their carbon emissions by 2039, or shut down by 2040.
The Biden mandates disproportionately burden poor people, farmers, and small businesses, while pushing energy-intensive industries overseas to countries like China, where environmental standards are far weaker.
Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin said Wednesday, “EPA is proposing to repeal the unconstitutional 2015 Obama ’Clean Power Plan,’ Biden’s ’Clean Power Plan 2.0,’ and the 2024 Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (reverting to the effective 2012 standards). These rules imposed massive costs on power plants, raised the cost of living, and endangered the reliability of our electric grid. We are ENDING their war on our domestic energy supply and saving Americans billions of dollars in the process.”
Trump’s proposed repeal would eliminate the costly carbon capture mandates for new and existing fossil fuel plants. This would allow coal plants, which supply 16% of U.S. electricity, to remain operational. It would make natural gas, which powers 43% of the grid, more affordable. This is not just about energy, it’s about jobs, competitiveness, and economic sovereignty.
EPA is proposing to repeal the rule by rescinding all greenhouse gas emissions standards for the power sector under Section 111 of the Clean Air Act. EPA’s new position is clear: before regulating emissions from fossil fuel plants, the agency must demonstrate that these emissions significantly contribute to dangerous air pollution. Current data don’t support that conclusion, according to EPA.
Government models support this. They show that if the United States stopped using all fossil fuels in 2025, the reduction in global temperatures in 2100 would be only 0.2 degrees Celsius.
According to EPA estimates, this regulation could save the power sector almost $20 billion over two decades. These savings would ripple across the economy, lowering costs for transportation, heating, utilities, and manufacturing.
The 2024 mercury rule created regulatory uncertainty, particularly in coal-reliant states like West Virginia, Texas, and Pennsylvania. The proposed rollback would revert to the 2012 standards, which have already driven a 90% reduction in mercury emissions and significant cuts in other hazardous pollutants. Even the Biden administration acknowledged that the 2012 standards provided an ample margin of safety.
The Biden rules were an attempt to revive the 2015 Clean Power Plan, which the Supreme Court struck down in West Virginia v. Environmental Protection Agency (2022). That ruling reaffirmed that agencies may not decide “major questions” or make sweeping changes to America’s energy mix without clear congressional authorization.
By repealing these overreaching rules, the Trump administration is confirming a fundamental principle: energy policy should be grounded in law, science, and economic reality. This proposal is a welcome course correction that prioritizes stability of the electricity grid and affordable energy, benefiting American workers, consumers, and allies abroad.
Energy security is economic security. If the goal is to have a strong economy that generates jobs and makes America the global leader in advanced manufacturing and artificial intelligence, our nation needs reliable, affordable power. The EPA new power plant rules do just that.