# EPA Guts Climate Rules for Coal, Gas, and Methane in One Sweep

- URL: https://twotakes.us/stories/epa-guts-climate-rules-for-coal-gas-and-methane-in-one-sweep
- Published: 2026-09-17T13:12:27.513360+00:00
- Topics: epa, climate-change, coal, endangered-species-act, deregulation

## What the left says
- Coal accounts for nearly half of cumulative global carbon emissions since industrialization, making its continued unchecked use a major setback for slowing climate change.
- The rule being repealed was already a compromise crafted to survive Supreme Court limits, giving utilities a choice between retiring coal plants or installing carbon capture technology rather than mandating a fuel switch outright.
- Rolling back methane controls on low-producing 'stripper wells' eliminates rules covering wells responsible for roughly half of the oil and gas sector's methane pollution despite producing only a tiny share of energy output.
- The EPA's justification—that climate science is too uncertain to regulate emissions—mirrors reasoning used to repeal vehicle emissions rules and is seen as an attempt to dismantle the scientific basis for climate regulation entirely.

## What the right says
- The repealed 2024 rule attempted to force coal and gas plants to adopt carbon capture technology that critics say is not adequately proven or economically viable, making plant retirements the only realistic compliance path for many facilities.
- Removing these regulations is projected to save Americans hundreds of billions of dollars and lower electricity bills for households and businesses.
- Stripping away costly compliance requirements for low-producing wells prevents forced shutdowns that would only eliminate a small fraction of U.S. oil and gas production while imposing disproportionate costs on operators.
- The rules are framed as exceeding the EPA's statutory authority, echoing the Supreme Court's earlier rejection of the Obama-era Clean Power Plan for regulating beyond what the Clean Air Act permits.

## Common ground
- Coal and gas power plants and oil and gas wells are significant sources of carbon dioxide and methane emissions.
- The 2024 Biden-era rule was designed as a workaround after the Supreme Court struck down the original Clean Power Plan for exceeding EPA authority.
- The repeal will extend the operational lifespan of existing coal and gas plants that might otherwise have faced retirement or costly upgrades.
- The changes carry major economic consequences, whether measured in industry compliance savings or potential public health and climate costs.

## Sources
- [Mother Jones](https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2026/09/trump-epa-lee-zeldin-power-plant-emissions-rule-rollback-coal-pollution-biden-climate-legacy/) (Left)
- [AllSides](https://www.allsides.com/news/2026-09-17-0700/environment-trump-administration-moves-gut-core-endangered-species-protection) (Center)
- [AllSides](https://www.allsides.com/news/2026-09-17-0700/environment-perpetual-villainy-trump-admin-preps-yet-another-attack-endangered-species) (Center)
- [AllSides](https://www.allsides.com/news/2026-09-17-0700/environment-ny-times-trump-could-gut-endangered-species-act) (Center)
- [AllSides](https://www.allsides.com/news/2026-09-16-0700/environment-epas-latest-move-trump-topples-last-pillar-bidens-climate-legacy) (Center)
- [ProPublica](https://www.propublica.org/article/methane-gas-epa-proposal-stripper-wells) (Lean Left)
- [The Daily Signal](https://www.dailysignal.com/2026/09/16/the-epa-just-removed-a-billion-dollar-barrier-to-reliable-power/) (Right)
- [The Economist](https://www.economist.com/united-states/2026/02/15/checks-and-balance-the-death-of-the-endangerment-finding) (Lean Right)
- [The Economist](https://www.economist.com/united-states/2026/02/13/how-dangerous-is-donald-trumps-endangerment-decision) (Lean Right)
- [Washington Free Beacon](https://freebeacon.com/energy/trump-epa-moves-to-permanently-eliminate-greenhouse-gas-emissions-rules-for-power-plants-gutting-bidens-signature-environmental-policies/) (Unknown)

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