New Environmental Rules For Power Plants

The Biden Administration has announced broad-reaching regulations on power plants that would curb the air and water pollution that they cause. While the regulations will face heavy opposition from the power generation industry, red state attorneys general, and potentially industry-favoring courts, if implemented, they would go a long way to curbing greenhouse gas emissions under our climate goals. From the Washington Post:

"If fully implemented, the rules will have enormous consequences for U.S. climate goals, the air Americans breathe and the ways they get their electricity. The power sector ranks as the nation’s second-largest contributor to climate change, and it is a major source of toxic air pollutants tied to health problems.

Before the restrictions take effect, however, they will have to survive near-certain legal challenges from Republican attorneys general, who have been emboldened by the Supreme Court’s skepticism of expansive environmental regulations.

Another wild card is the November election, which could hand the White House back to former president Donald Trump, who has pledged to scrap dozens of President Biden’s green policies if he returns to office."  (our emphasis)

Implementing the regulations will be a hard fight, against the industry, red states and their favorite judges, but it's worth fighting. Also, for those young voters who are passionate about a cleaner world, the stark choice they face in November should concentrate their minds on the disaster that a Trump administration would mean to the environment. The article continues:

"Each rule will yield huge benefits for public health and the planet, according to the EPA. The greenhouse gas standards alone will prevent up to 1,200 premature deaths, 870 hospital visits and 1,900 asthma cases in 2035, the agency said. They will also reduce carbon emissions through 2047 by 1.38 billion tons — equivalent to the annual emissions of 328 million gasoline-powered cars."

It's hard to imagine anyone opposing those benefits, but when they impact corporate profits, the choice is an easy one for the greedy polluters. It's another reason why voting in November and in every election against the polluters and their Republican protectors is essential to a healthier life.

(photo: Mount Storm Power Station in West Virginia. Griffin Lotz / Newsweek)