US set to axe climate pollution limits for power plants

The US administration is poised to eliminate climate pollution limits for coal and gas power plants, according to recent reports from US media outlets. This move, expected to take effect on Monday, will reverse rules implemented by President Biden's administration in 2024, which mandated a near-complete elimination of carbon emissions from such facilities.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administrator, Lee Zeldin, is anticipated to announce this change during a G20 energy ministers meeting in Houston, sources familiar with the matter have indicated to Bloomberg News and the New York Times.

Despite the proposed rollback, power plants would continue to adhere to certain restrictions on mercury, arsenic, and other contaminants, The New York Times reported. Coal, which is the primary fuel responsible for the highest levels of greenhouse gas emissions, thus remains a significant contributor to climate change. President Trump has consistently dismissed human-induced climate change as a "hoax" and has sought to dismantle a multitude of environmental regulations since taking office last year, many of which were designed to limit fossil fuel consumption.

The administration's actions this year have included the overturning of the EPA's 2009 Endangerment Finding, a scientific determination that greenhouse gases pose a threat to public health and welfare.