IN MAJOR CLIMATE STEP EPA PROPOSES 1ST LIMITS ON GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS FROM POWER PLANTS

The Biden administration proposed new limits Thursday on greenhouse gas emissions from coaland gas-fired power plants, its most ambitious effort yet to roll back planet-warming pollution from the nation's second-largest contributor to climate change

A rule unveiled by the Environmental Protection Agency could force power plants to capture smokestack emissions using a technology that has long been promised but is not in widespread use in the U.S.

"This administration is committed to meeting the urgency of the climate crisis and taking the necessary actions required, EPA Administrator Michael Regan said during Thursday's announcement.

The new rule will "significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel-fired power plants, protecting health and protecting our planet, Regan said. The plan would not only "improve air quality nationwide, but it will bring substantial health benefits to communities all across the country, especially our frontline communities ... that have unjustly borne the burden of pollution for decades, Regan said in a speech at the University of Maryland.

If finalized, the proposed regulation would mark the first time the federal government has restricted carbon dioxide emissions from existing power plants, which generate about 25% of U.S. greenhouse gas pollution, second only to the transportation sector. The rule also would apply to future electric plants and would avoid up to 617 million metric tons of carbon dioxide through 2042, equivalent to annual emissions of 137 million passenger vehicles, the EPA said.

Almost all the coal plants along with large, frequently used gas-fired power plants — would have to cut or capture nearly all their carbon dioxide emissions by 2038, the EPA said. Plants that cannot meet the new standards would be forced to retire.

The plan is likely to be challenged by industry groups and Republican-leaning states, which have accused the Democratic administration of overreach on environmental regulations and warn of a pending reliability crisis for the electric grid.

The power plant rule is one of at least a half-dozen EPA rules limiting power plant emissions and wastewater treatment.