Environmental Groups Sue EPA Over Power Plant Carbon Repeal

A coalition of environmental and public health organizations filed a lawsuit in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit to block the United States Environmental Protection Agency from repealing Biden-era carbon emission limits for fossil fuel-fired power plants. The plaintiffs, including the Natural Resources Defense Council and the American Lung Association, argue the agency violated the Clean Air Act by removing 2024 standards without providing replacements.

On September 14, 2026, the EPA finalized the repeal of most 2024 Carbon Pollution Standards, which had required existing coal and new gas plants to capture 90 percent of carbon emissions or shut down by 2039. Administrator Lee Zeldin defended the move as a way to end a "war on coal," estimating the rollback would save the power sector up to $310 billion and increase coal production tenfold. The agency further proposed rescinding all remaining greenhouse gas standards, claiming that such emissions have no material impact on global climate change.

Critics, including former EPA Administrator Christine Todd Whitman, called the action "unconscionable" and argued the agency abandoned its mission to protect human health. Public health groups warned the rollback would cause thousands of premature deaths and exacerbate extreme weather. In response, the EPA stated it has delivered over $1.3 trillion in deregulatory savings while following the law. The legal challenge follows a history of disputes over federal authority to regulate greenhouse gases, including the 2022 Supreme Court ruling in West Virginia v. EPA.