Greenhouse Gas Standards and Guidelines for Fossil Fuel-Fired Power Plants

Rule Summary

EPA has issued final carbon pollution standards for power plants that set carbon dioxide (CO2) limits for new gas-fired combustion turbines and CO2 emission guidelines for existing coal, oil and gas-fired steam generating units, securing important climate benefits and protecting public health.

Nonregulatory Docket

In spring 2024, EPA issued framing questions and provided a nonregulatory docket to gather input about ways to design a broad, environmentally-protective approach to GHG regulation of the entire fleet of existing gas combustion turbines in the power sector under Clean Air Act Section 111(d). EPA also held a hybrid public forum.

These rules will significantly reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from existing coal-fired power plants and from new natural gas turbines, ensuring that all long-term coal-fired plants and base load new gas-fired plants control 90% of their carbon pollution. Existing coal-fired power plants are the largest source of GHGs from the power sector. New natural gas-fired combustion turbines are some of the largest new sources of GHG being built today and these final standards will ensure that they are constructed to minimize their GHG emissions.

Consistent with EPA’s traditional approach to establishing pollution standards under the Clean Air Act, the final limits and emission guidelines are based on proven pollution control technologies that can be applied directly to power plants and can achieve substantial reductions in carbon pollution at reasonable cost. Emission guidelines for the longest-running existing coal units and performance standards for new base load combustion turbines are based on the use of carbon capture and sequestration/storage (CCS) – an available and cost-effective control technology that can be applied directly to power plants.

EPA has evaluated the emissions reductions, benefits, and costs of the final carbon pollution standards in a Regulatory Impact Analysis (RIA). The RIA projects reductions of 1.38 billion metric tons of CO₂ systemwide through 2047 along with tens of thousands of tons of PM2.5, SO₂, and NOx – harmful air pollutants that are known to endanger public health.