Austin, US (EFE).- The administration of the United States President Donald Trump announced on Monday the elimination of certain greenhouse gas emission limits for coal- and gas-fired power plants, a controversial decision that scraps regulations approved in 2024 by the Joe Biden administration.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin made the announcement during the G20 Energy Ministers meeting in Houston, Texas, asserting that it will generate savings exceeding 310 billion dollars for American households.
The decision aligns with other policies approved by the current US executive that highlight climate denialism by Trump and his closest advisers.
Zeldin also announced a proposal to fully revoke the EPA’s authority to regulate power plant emissions under the 1970 Clean Air Act, claiming it would save US consumers an additional 370 billion dollars at a time marked by rising fuel costs due to the war in Iran.
The EPA head indicated that he expects coal production for the power sector to increase more than tenfold.
Revitalizing coal mining has been one of Trump’s key promises. He has repeatedly rejected the scientific consensus on climate change, calling it the “greatest con job ever perpetrated on the world” and the «green new scam» that he claims would ruin countries investing in renewable energy.
In February, the president revoked the endangerment finding approved by Barack Obama’s administration in 2009, which established that six greenhouse gases emitted by internal combustion engines are harmful to human health.
In a statement sent to EFE, Gina McCarthy, who led the EPA during the Obama administration, criticized the decision, arguing that it frees major industrial polluters from compliance with internal agency findings. She emphasized that under the Clean Air Act, the EPA is legally required to control major sources of pollution that endanger public health, such as power plants.
Power plants represent the second-largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States, trailing only the transportation sector.
McCarthy, who also served as National Climate Advisor under Biden, added that every American has the right to clean air and criticized Trump’s administration for enabling higher pollution levels. She warned that these choices affect everyone, with younger generations bearing the greatest burden. EFE
acaa/dmv
