New US rules could stem emissions from coal and gas power plants

(The Guardian, 11 May 2023) Environmental groups laud the regulation, which would advance clean power in the US – if it survives expected legal challenges.

The US is set to impose new carbon pollution standards upon its coal- and gas-fired power plants, in a move that the Biden administration has hailed as a major step in confronting the climate crisis.

Under new rules put forward by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), new and existing power plants will have to meet a range of new standards to cut their emissions of planet-heating gases. This, the EPA predicts, will spur facilities to switch to cleaner energy such as wind and solar, install rarely used carbon capture technology or shut down entirely.

In all, the EPA forecasts that the standards would prevent up to 617m tons of carbon dioxide from being emitted from coal and gas plants over the next two decades, which is equivalent to the yearly emissions of around half of all the cars in the US, or nearly double what the entire UK emits in a year.

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The Guardian, 11 May 2023: New US rules could stem emissions from coal and gas power plants