WASHINGTON — On September 14, the Trump Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) moved to permanently end federal regulation of power plants’ carbon emissions. The agency repealed the major carbon pollution standards for power plants, and simultaneously issued a proposal to permanently strip EPA’s authority to limit carbon emissions from power plants altogether — not just under this administration, but under any future one.
Maggie Shober, Southern Alliance for Clean Energy Research Director, said in response: “Through this action, the administration once again prioritizes short-term gains for wealthy donors over the lives and livelihoods of the American people. Coal and gas are fossils, and the dinosaurs in charge are bending over backwards to keep our dollars flowing to fossil fuel CEOs while claiming that climate change has not and is not adversely impacting public health and welfare.
“To say we are not feeling the impacts of climate change is a slap in the face. The impacts, from Hurricane Helene ravaging much of the Southeast to the current heat wave, drive public support for pollution regulations. Despite this, EPA’s action is designed to hamstring future administrations from doing the will of the people. Trump and Zeldin’s EPA is anything but protective of the environment or the American people, and today’s action is vile and subversive. But it won’t last: people see the increasing impacts of climate change and the cost benefits of clean energy.
“This proposal claims that regulations of carbon emissions have caused significant costs for families and businesses. But what is actually driving up costs? Not the EPA trying to do the common sense thing: regulate air pollution under the Clean Air Act. Instead it is the fossil fuel industry, including electric utilities, holding on to outdated coal and gas resources and litigating every time the EPA tries to actually protect people and the environment. If we really want to make energy affordable, the fossil fuel industry and its political hacks need to stop blocking clean energy and stop prioritizing their wallets over our health.”
The power sector is the largest industrial source of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S., and this rollback comes as Americans endure the hottest summer since record-keeping began in 1895. Families are already feeling the cost of that dependence. Utility bills are climbing as demand from data centers drives construction of more fossil fuel plants and keeping old, costly, inefficient coal plants from retiring on schedule. This is part of a broader pattern: the Trump administration has been systematically unleashing pollution and weaponizing the EPA against the public to prop up the fossil fuel industry.
This isn’t just a rollback — it’s a permanent surrender. Once the EPA relinquishes its authority to regulate power plant carbon pollution, and if the Supreme Court sides with this stance, reversing course won’t be as simple as a new administration issuing a new rule. Americans will be left with no federal safeguard against the largest industrial source of the emissions driving the extreme heat, storms, and fires already straining their homes, health, and wallets.
You can tell the EPA that you support common sense carbon pollution regulations, and do not support this attempt to preempt future administration actions. Once this proposed rulemaking is published in the federal register, the public will have at least 30 days to provide written comments. The EPA will also hold a public hearing 14 days after publication in the federal register. Check the EPA’s site for updates on opportunities to engage. SACE and allies will fight this repeal at every stage to defend the American people’s right to breathable air and a livable climate.
Media Contact: Amy Rawe, SACE, amyr@cleanenergy.org, 865-235-1448
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About the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy
Since 1985, the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy has worked to promote responsible and equitable energy choices to ensure clean, safe, and healthy communities throughout the Southeast. Learn more at cleanenergy.org.
