Electric co-ops press for repeal of gas power plant emissions rules

National Rural Electric Cooperative Association CEO Jim Matheson expressed relief at the prospect of action on a proposed repeal of greenhouse gas emissions standards for the power sector. In June 2025, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin submitted a "Carbon Pollution Standards Repeal" rule to the Office of Management and Budget for review.

However, the 90-day review deadline has passed without OMB action. Oglethorpe Power Corp. President Annalisa Bloodworth labeled the rule "deeply flawed" and called it "the most irrational environmental regulation I've encountered in my career." Basin Electric Power Cooperative CEO Todd Brickhouse and Associated Electric Cooperative CEO David Tudor joined the discussion, emphasizing that their co-ops serve about 60% of the cooperative family across the U.S. Tudor noted that the Trump administration understands their concerns, but he lacks insight into the rule's status.

Matheson stated that he supports an outright repeal of the rule and believes it cannot be modified in a way that makes sense. The 40% threshold and carbon capture and sequestration technologies "are not commercially viable," he added. Bloodworth echoed Matheson's sentiment, calling for a full repeal to enable planning and investment with confidence.

Basin's CEO Brickhouse highlighted that while renewables constitute 30% of Basin's generation portfolio, meeting data center demand with renewable energy supported by diesel is impractical due to data centers' high load factors. He emphasized the need for generating units like combined cycle facilities to match the constant demand of data centers, which consume nearly 900-1,000 MW around the clock, 24/7, 365 days a year.