Several industry associations representing power providers warned the Biden administration's regulations would threaten the stability of the nation's power grid. (Getty Images)
Under the regulations, all coal-fired plants that are slated to remain operational in the long-term and all new, baseload gas-fired plants will be required to control 90% of their carbon emissions. The rulemaking also tightens emissions standards for coal-fired plants related to toxic metal and wastewater discharge.
EPA and White House officials said the suite of environmental rules would help the U.S. achieve President Biden's goals of decarbonizing the nation's power grid. Shortly after he took office, Biden pledged to enable the nation to achieve an up to 52% total emission reduction by 2030 and to create a carbon-free power sector by 2035.
The resistance from Duke Energy, though, underscores the tension between Biden's ambitious, renewable energy goals and power companies that will ultimately be tasked with transitioning their fleets to ones dominated by green energy sources, namely wind and solar. According to federal data, natural gas and coal currently generate 43% and 16% of the nation's electricity, respectively, while wind and solar generate 10% and 4%.
WHITE HOUSE ECO COUNCIL AT ODDS OVER TECHNOLOGY CENTRAL TO BIDEN'S GREEN GOALS
"The path outlined by the EPA today is unlawful, unrealistic and unachievable," said National Rural Electric Cooperative Association CEO Jim Matheson. "It undermines electric reliability and poses grave consequences for an already stressed electric grid. The American economy can’t succeed without reliable electricity. Smart energy policy recognizes that fundamental truth and works to help keep the lights on."
The coal-fired Brandon Shores Power Plant in Baltimore is one of several that are slated to close in the coming years. (Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
CCS, which the EPA says will play a key role in helping power plants achieve the stringent regulations, has been criticized as a costly and nascent technology that captures power plant emissions before they enter the atmosphere.
"CCS is not yet ready for full-scale, economy-wide deployment, nor is there sufficient time to permit, finance and build the CCS infrastructure needed for compliance by 2032," Brouillette said.
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Overall, as federal and state government agencies continue to push the electrification of the residential, commercial and transportation sectors, power demand is slated to grow 2.5% and 3.2% in 2024 and 2025, respectively, according to the Energy Information Administration.
At the same time, a staggering 22.3 gigawatts of coal-fired electric generating capacity were retired in 2022 and 2023. Another 13 gigawatts are slated to be retired over the next two years.
The White House didn't respond to a request for comment for purposes of this story.
Thomas Catenacci is a politics writer for Fox News Digital.
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https://www.foxnews.com/politics/us-energy-giant-sounds-alarm-bidens-climate-rules-targeting-power-plants