“War on coal”
Trump administration scraps climate rules for fossil fuel power plants
Updated on 09/15/2026 – 03:02 amReading time: 2 minutes
Greenhouse gases are considered the main driver of man-made climate change. Now President Donald Trump’s administration has removed emissions requirements for coal and gas power plants.
The US government of President Donald Trump has removed greenhouse gas emissions requirements for coal and gas power plants. The majority of greenhouse gas regulations for U.S. power plants were passed under the Democratic administration of the previous president Joe Biden were introduced will be withdrawn, said the head of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Lee Zeldin at a G20 ministerial meeting in Houston, state Texas with.
Zeldin made the comments in a statement announcing the final version of a rule proposed last year. US media had previously reported on the government’s plans.
“For more than 15 years, the (Barack) Obama and Biden administrations have waged a war on coal to destroy reliable, affordable energy,” the statement said. “Americans will see falling electricity prices,” he promised. Coal burning to generate electricity is expected to increase more than tenfold.
What the regulation is about
The previous government under Biden ordered electricity companies to gradually reduce climate-damaging emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) from coal-fired power plants and new gas plants by up to 90 percent in 2024. Otherwise, the power plants should cease operations by 2039. The Trump administration has now removed this regulation.
According to the EPA, the requirements are impossible to meet and the deadlines are too tight. Furthermore, the Environment Agency is fundamentally prohibited from making regulations for the electricity industry. She argues that, based on the current legal situation, she has no authority to regulate emissions from power plants because of climate change.
The now announced repeal of emissions regulations will take place in the USA will most likely be challenged in court. Legal expert Meredith Hankins from the lobby group Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) told the AFP news agency that she was looking forward to seeing those responsible “in court.”
Trump unwinds climate action
Greenhouse gases are considered the main driver of man-made climate change. According to research, they have led to a significant increase in average global temperatures since the late 19th century. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), this affects all regions of the world – for example through more frequent and severe extreme weather events such as floods, heat waves and droughts.
Similar to Western Europe, the USA also experienced the hottest summer this year since records began a good 130 years ago. The climate research agency NOAA announced this just last Wednesday.
