New York-Led Coalition Sues EPA Over Repeal Of Power Plant Emissions Rules

A coalition of U.S. states and cities, including California and Michigan, has sued the Trump administration’s Environmental Protection Agency over its repeal of greenhouse gas emissions limits for power plants, Reuters reported.

The coalition, led by New York Attorney General Letitia James, filed a petition in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit challenging the repeal of the 2024 Carbon Pollution Standards.

The rules required power plants to curb greenhouse gas emissions, including through carbon capture technology.

“Dismantling these protections is a betrayal of American families, and the stakes are too high to allow this administration to once again put profits over people,” James said.

Power plants are the second-largest source of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions after vehicles and account for about a quarter of the country’s carbon dioxide emissions.

The coalition asked the court to strike down the repeal. It also notified the EPA of its intention to sue over what it described as the agency’s continued failure to fully regulate pollution from existing natural gas-fired power plants.

The coalition said the EPA repealed the regulations without considering “reasonable alternatives” or accounting for the health and climate costs of allowing more pollution into the atmosphere.