(VitalNews.org) – According to a new rule put in place by the Environmental Protection Agency, coal-fired plants would have to report emissions or they would be forced to shut down.
One of the Biden Administration’s biggest goals is to combat greenhouse emissions to control the warming climate, and there has been a push for more restrictions and rules. These rules are part of a larger plan that Biden has to eliminate carbon pollution from the electricity sector within a decade.
The EPA said that the rule would provide “regulatory certainty to the power industry and encourage them to make investments to transition to a clean energy economy.”
This rule is to safely manage coal ash in unlined storage ponds and reduce toxic wastewater pollutants from coal-fired plants. “One of the biggest environmental challenges facing our nation is man-made pollution that damages our air, our water, and our land,” said Michael Regan, the EPA Administrator. He continued, “Not only is this pollution a major threat to public health — it’s pushing our planet to the brink.’’
The new rules are expected to be challenged by industry groups and states that are Republican-leaning. They have both criticized the Biden Administration by saying that they are overreaching and that it could cause a reliability crisis for the electric grid.
This rule is the first time that the federal government has tried to limit or restrict carbon dioxide emissions from existing coal-fired plants. The EPA has stated that the impact of this rule could be massive, providing benefits to both our climate and people’s health.
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