Staff Reports
The Biden administration has officially put in place new rules that will make it much harder for natural gas and coal-fired power plants to keep operating. These rules require the plants to greatly reduce their emissions, to the point where they may have to close down if they can’t afford to make expensive upgrades.
This is all part of President Biden’s plan to have a completely clean electrical grid by 2035. The rules demand that coal and natural gas plants cut 90% of their emissions by 2032, either by using new technology to capture the emissions or by lowering production.
It’s expected that many coal plants will have to shut down because of these new rules. Michael S. Regan, who runs the Environmental Protection Agency, says that the agency is following through on the Biden administration’s goal to fight climate change and protect communities from pollution. He says that the new standards will help cut pollution while still allowing power companies to make good investments and provide dependable electricity for all Americans.
However, these rules have drawn criticism from manufacturing groups, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and politicians from both the Republican and Democratic parties. They argue that the rules will lead to higher electricity costs and make the electrical grid less reliable. Right now, about 60% of the electricity in the U.S. comes from natural gas and coal.
Some experts believe that these rules will be challenged in court and might even be overturned by the Supreme Court. The EPA officials who made the rules are confident that they will stand up in court and that the agency has the authority to make decisions about the nation’s energy sources. Sen. Joe Manchin, a Democrat from West Virginia, thinks the rule will hurt the fossil fuel industry, particularly coal.
