EPA proposes first limits on CO2 emissions from power plants

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EPA Administrator Michael Regan proposed the new rule. Associated Press/Photo by Nathan Howard

EPA proposes first limits on CO2 emissions from power plants

The Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday proposed a rule that would require coal and gas-fired power plants to limit their carbon dioxide emissions. Plants would be required to cut or capture nearly all of their emissions by 2038, and those not meeting the new standards would be forced to close. If adopted after a months-long federal rulemaking process, the rule would be the first time the federal government has restricted emissions from existing power plants.

Has there been pushback against the proposal? West Virginia Republican Sen. Shelley Moore Capito said Thursday that she will introduce legislation to counteract the proposed rule. The National Mining Association on Wednesday said the goals of the proposal are unrealistic because the technology needed to capture emissions is expensive and not widely available.

Dig deeper: Listen to Mary Muncy’s report on The World and Everything in It podcast about the switch to electric vehicles to reduce emissions.

Lauren Canterberry

Lauren Canterberry is a reporter for WORLD. She graduated from the World Journalism Institute and the University of Georgia with a degree in journalism, both in 2017. She worked as a local reporter in Texas and now lives in Georgia with her husband.