Biden proposes to restrict pollution from new gas plants

The Biden administration has proposed a rule that it says will reduce pollution stemming from new gas-fired power plants and other industrial facilities.

The proposal would require these plants to cut their emissions of pollutants known as nitrogen oxides, which can lead to smog formation and contribute to asthma in people with long-term exposure. 

The agency said that the regulation would reduce nitrogen oxide emissions by as many as  198 tons in 2027 and 2,659 tons in 2032. 

However, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rule is not expected to become final before inauguration day, meaning it would be up to the Trump administration to decide whether to move ahead with it. 

The incoming Trump administration has indicated that it hopes to reduce regulations on both the economy as a whole and the power sector in particular.

Nevertheless, environmental advocates, who praised the Biden action, said they would push the incoming Trump administration to keep it. 

“The Biden-Harris administration’s proposed rule is an important and long-overdue step towards limiting dangerous smog and soot-forming pollution,” said Matthew Davis, vice president of federal policy at the League of Conservation Voters, in a written statement. 

“We will continue to press the EPA to improve on these important clean air safeguards and will hold the future Trump administration accountable to the court-ordered deadline to finalize a protective rule in November 2025,” he added. 

A 2023 legal agreement between the EPA and environmental groups who sued the agency says the EPA has to either tighten the standards or issue a formal decision not to do so no later than November 12, 2025.