EPA Announces Major Deregulatory Actions, Targets Biden’s Clean Power Plan 2.0

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced a sweeping set of deregulatory actions, potentially marking the most significant rollback of environmental regulations in U.S. history. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, in an announcement first obtained by Fox News Digital, stated that the agency is putting the Biden administration’s Clean Power Plan 2.0 "on the chopping block." This plan, finalized in April 2024, aimed to significantly reduce carbon emissions from power plants and was a key component of the Biden administration’s climate agenda.

Zeldin emphasized that the EPA is acting to ensure it adheres to the rule of law, particularly in light of a Supreme Court decision that limited the agency’s authority to broadly regulate carbon emissions. He also highlighted the goal of providing Americans with reliable and affordable energy, suggesting that the Biden administration’s policies threatened this access.

The Clean Power Plan 2.0 required existing coal-fired power plants and new baseload natural gas-fired power plants to install carbon capture technology by 2032. The intention was to effectively eliminate carbon emissions from the power sector by 2050. Proponents of the plan touted it as an aggressive and necessary step to combat climate change, while critics, particularly conservative lawmakers, warned of potentially catastrophic effects on the nation’s electric grid.

The EPA’s decision to reconsider the Clean Power Plan 2.0 follows the Supreme Court’s 2022 ruling in West Virginia v. EPA, which struck down the Obama administration’s 2015 Clean Power Plan. The Supreme Court held that the "major questions doctrine" prevented the EPA from using the Clean Air Act to fundamentally reshape the nation’s energy mix. The EPA, in its press release, noted that the Biden administration’s 2024 rule was viewed by many critics as another attempt to achieve the fuel-shifting goals that the Supreme Court had deemed unlawful.

In addition to targeting the Clean Power Plan 2.0, the EPA is also initiating actions to advance President Trump’s executive orders and actions aimed at "Powering the Great American Comeback." The agency’s press release declared that the combination of these actions represents the "most consequential day of deregulation in U.S. history." The EPA stated its commitment to fulfilling President Trump’s promise to unleash American energy, lower energy costs for Americans, revitalize the American auto industry, restore the rule of law, and empower states to make their own energy decisions.

Zeldin released a video announcing that the EPA is taking 31 separate actions to advance President Trump’s "Day 1" executive orders. He described the Clean Power Plan 2.0 as a "suffocating rule" that restricts various sectors of the economy and costs Americans trillions of dollars.

The EPA is also reconsidering rules related to mercury and air toxicity standards, as well as regulations on light, medium, and heavy-duty cars and trucks. The agency is also reviewing the "social cost of carbon," a metric used to estimate the economic damages associated with carbon emissions.

Zeldin has recently focused on addressing what he perceives as corruption and mismanagement within the EPA. He announced the termination of $20 billion in grants awarded by the Biden administration for climate and clean-energy projects.

These grants were awarded to eight non-profit organizations: the Coalition for Green Capital, Climate United Fund, Power Forward Communities, Opportunity Finance Network, Inclusiv, and the Justice Climate Fund, among others. These organizations have partnerships with groups such as Rewiring America, Habitat for Humanity, and the Community Preservation Corporation.

Zeldin stated that the termination of these grants is based on "substantial concerns regarding program integrity, objections to the award process, programmatic fraud, waste and abuse, and misalignment with the agency’s priorities." He asserted that these issues "collectively undermine the fundamental goals and statutory objectives of the awards." He pledged that the EPA will once again be an "exceptional steward" of taxpayer dollars.

The news of the EPA’s deregulatory actions has sparked considerable debate and controversy. Supporters of the moves argue that they will boost the economy, lower energy costs, and restore regulatory certainty. They also contend that the Biden administration’s climate policies were overly burdensome and threatened the reliability of the nation’s energy grid.

Critics of the deregulatory actions, on the other hand, argue that they will exacerbate climate change, harm public health, and undermine efforts to transition to a clean energy economy. They also accuse the EPA of prioritizing the interests of the fossil fuel industry over the well-being of the environment and the health of American citizens. Environmental groups and Democratic lawmakers have vowed to fight the EPA’s actions in court and through legislative means. The future of these deregulatory actions is uncertain, and the legal and political battles surrounding them are likely to be protracted and intense. The impact on the environment, the economy, and the nation’s energy future remains to be seen.