Change at the EPA could mean a less aggressive stance on curbing greenhouse gases from the nation’s energy industry.
United States: (The NYT report spurred the EPA to say that it was reviewing and could soon start developing a proposed rule on this topic).
NYT Report Sparks EPA Response
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is preparing to get rid of all greenhouse gas limits for coal and gas power plants in America, according to information released by the New York Times on Saturday, as reported by Reuters.
According to the EPA’s proposal, carbon dioxide and related greenhouse gases from coal- and gas-burning power plants do not hurt the environment much due to their small and shrinking part in the total worldwide emissions, the NYT report states.
The EPA informed that cutting those emissions would not substantially affect public health and welfare in the report.
Global Experts Strongly Disagree
The UN reports that most of the world’s global warming is caused by fossil fuels, with these fuels producing over 75% of greenhouse gases and nearly 90% of carbon dioxide emissions.
EPA said after the NYT report that it was in the process of creating a proposed rule.
“Many have voiced concerns that the last administration’s replacement for that rule is similarly overreaching and an attempt to shut down affordable and reliable electricity generation in the United States, raising prices for American families, and increasing the country’s reliance on foreign forms of energy,” a spokesperson for the agency said in a statement.
“As part of this reconsideration, EPA is developing a proposed rule. The proposal will be published once it has completed interagency review and been signed by the administrator.”
President Trump has acted rapidly to stop all spending meant to fight climate change and to remove regulations focused on greenhouse gas emissions, all as part of efforts to assist the oil, gas, and mining sectors.
Trump Administration Accelerates Deregulation
On Thursday, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to advance Trump’s tax and spending bill, which could eliminate many green-energy subsidies that have played a big role in the renewable energy sector.
Trump’s budget would remove funding created under Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act and remove money to reduce air pollution and gas emissions or purchase electric heavy trucks, as reported by Reuters.
NYT states that, on May 2, the EPA sent the draft to the White House for comments, and the public will likely be invited to contribute their thoughts in June after any proposed changes are made.