The Biden administration has actually moved to end the use of coal to keep America lit. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday released four major regulations aimed at reducing a wide range of toxic and planet-warming pollution produced by coal-fired power plants, the dirtiest source of electricity in the United States.
The most important goal in the new rules is to virtually eliminate carbon dioxide emissions from coal-fired power plants. The other three rules would reduce emissions of mercury, a neurotoxin linked to developmental damage in children; limit toxic ash from leaching into water systems from coal-fired power plants; and reduce emissions of factory wastewater. The regulations are widely expected to lead to the closure of nearly all of the country’s remaining coal-fired power plants by 2040.
Here’s what to know about President Biden’s new effort to clean up coal power.
Are the new rules a big deal?
Anyway, yes.
For decades, power companies have had to comply with other environmental regulations. They force operators of coal-fired power plants to install technologies such as “scrubbers” to remove toxins such as mercury, or invest in safer ways to treat coal ash and wastewater at their facilities.
But the new standards are the most comprehensive yet, and the industry says they are impossible to meet. There are currently no widely available technologies that can significantly reduce CO2 emissions from power plant smokestacks. There is a very expensive technology called carbon capture and sequestration that captures and stores emissions underground before they reach the atmosphere. But the process has never been deployed at any coal-fired power plant in the United States. The cheapest way to comply may be to close the country’s roughly 200 remaining coal-fired power plants.
When will the new rules take effect?
Under the plan, existing coal-fired power plants scheduled to operate in 2039 or later must reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 90% by 2032. Power plants scheduled to close before 2039 must reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 16% by 2030. Power plants that retire before 2032 will not be subject to the rules.
But the age of the country’s existing coal-fired power plants means many facilities are likely to close before they meet the toughest restrictions. More than 200 coal-fired power plants Closed over the past decade, the average age of surviving plants is nearly 50 years old. life According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the lifespan of a coal-fired power plant in the United States is about 60 years, and about a quarter of the 200 existing plants are scheduled to retire within the next five years.
Where are these coal plants?
There are coal-fired power plants All over the countrywith the largest numbers in Pennsylvania, Texas, Indiana, Wyoming, Kentucky, West Virginia and Iowa.
How much electricity comes from coal?
Coal use in the United States has fallen sharply over the decades since 1990, when coal produced half of the nation’s electricity. Coal accounted for 16.2% of electricity generation last year, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Renewable energy – wind, solar, hydropower, biomass and geothermal energy combined – has surpassed coal to account for 21.4% of electricity generation by 2023. Natural gas accounts for 43.1% of the country’s electricity generation.
Can the new rules be overturned?
Yes, there are two important aspects.
Republican-led states and the coal industry are almost certain to challenge the rules in court. The Supreme Court has already limited how the EPA regulates power plants, and a conservative-leaning court could further stifle the administration’s efforts.
A second Trump administration could also cause trouble for regulation. Former President Donald J. Trump has vowed to promote fossil fuels and roll back Biden’s regulations if he is elected in November.
