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President Donald Trump’s administration is moving to gut Biden-era climate regulations that it says could save the industry up to $670 billion in compliance costs.
Environmental Protection Agency chief Lee Zeldin says the agency is repealing the majority of the Biden administration’s greenhouse gas requirements for U.S. power plants. The EPA projects that alone will save $310 billion in compliance costs, and Zeldin has proposed eliminating all remaining greenhouse gas emission standards, which would save a projected additional $370 billion.
The move, first reported by the Washington Free Beacon, is aimed at boosting coal and natural gas power production. The EPA says coal production for use in the power sector is expected to increase tenfold under the changes.
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EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin of New York speaks before Congress. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
“For over 15 years, the Obama and Biden administrations implemented a war on coal to destroy reliable and affordable energy. The Trump Administration has come in to protect American energy and to make sure you can afford to keep the lights on,” Zeldin said in a statement provided to Fox News Digital.
“Americans will see a decrease in electricity prices, but this is just the beginning. We are working to go even further so that American energy can be fully unleashed. Realizing the full potential of American energy means more jobs, lower prices, and a more prosperous America,” he added.
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Energy plants like this West Virginia-based coal-fired power station, left, designed to generate electricity, are under strain with the growing needs of the U.S. power grid. It’s prompting Congress to work toward permitting reform. (Getty Images)
On the chopping block are former President Joe Biden’s 2024 Carbon Pollution Standards, which Zeldin argues exceeded the EPA’s authority by setting impossible standards for power plants in an effort to force them to close.
“Models continue to show that GHG [Greenhouse Gas] emissions from power plants have no material impact on global climate change. In fact, if all carbon dioxides were eliminated tomorrow, there would be no meaningful climate impact,” the EPA wrote in a statement.
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US Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, House Speaker Mike Johnson and EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin watch as US President Donald Trump sign an executive order directing the military to purchase electricity from coal-fired power plants during a “Champion of Coal” event at the White House in Washington, DC, on February 11, 2026. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)
“Additionally, the targeted emissions are global in nature, and any potential public health harms are too uncertain, conjectural, remote, and convoluted to tie specifically to the U.S. power sector,” it continued.
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Energy Secretary Christ Wright endorsed the EPA’s move as well, saying coal and natural gas provide critical stability for U.S. power infrastructure, “regardless of whether the wind is blowing or the sun is shining.”