Next Generation

The EPA's proposed new rules for power plants

- Damien Martin

In May, the EPA announced a proposal for new rules for power plants that it expects would cut carbon dioxide emissions from existing coal plants and new natural gas plants by 617 million metric tons from 2028-42. That would be equivalent to taking half of today’s cars off the road for a year. As power generation accounts for 25% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, second to transportation, the rules have the potential to make a big impact on how we power the country.

Even if fully enacted, though, the rules would fall short of 100% clean electricity by 2035, one of President Joe Biden’s stated goals. But they would be significant nonetheless, especially considering that clean energy initiatives like electric cars still rely on the same old power grid to function. The devil is in the details, so let’s dive in.

Coal Plants

The intent of the new rules for power plants certainly seems to be the phasing out of coal-fired plants over the next couple of decades. Under the proposal, existing coal plants would have to cut their carbon emissions by 90% or set a retirement date before 2040. The last coal-fired plant of more than 100 megawatts in the U.S. came online a decade ago, and there are no plans for any new ones. In the 2010s, 290 coal plants closed. Coal still generates around 20% of U.S. electricity, but a combination of clear, cheaper natural gas and the rapidly increasing affordability of renewables has rendered the idea of opening new coal plants a nonstarter. Renewables first surpassed coal in terms of percentage of energy in the U.S. grid in 2020, and there’s been no looking back. To stay in business into the 2040s, coal plants could install carbon capture and storage systems, which we’ll discuss more below.