CASPER, Wyo. — Wyoming’s delegation is responding Thursday morning to a new requirement from the Environmental Protection Agency that would force coal-fired power plants to capture smokestack emissions or be shut down.
“These overreaching climate rules from [Biden and the EPA] will shut down power plants, raise energy costs, and handcuff affordable electricity sources,” said Sen. John Barrasso on his X — formerly known as Twitter — account. “Americans deserve clean air, clear rules and reliable electricity. Punishing regulations make this impossible.”
In a press release issued on Thursday morning, Gov. Mark Gordon said the rulings could be “devastating” for Wyoming.
“It is far beyond disappointing; these rules are a travesty, and their effects are devastating,” he said in his statement. “I acknowledge that EPA has provided two more years to install carbon capture on some coal-fired units than originally proposed. Though I have always maintained that Wyoming utilities and power plants are working as fast as they can to deploy multiple technologies for CO2 capture, nonetheless rules like these stymie progress.”
According to the Associated Press, the new limits on greenhouse gas emissions from power plants using fossil fuels are the Biden administration’s most ambitious yet.
The new rules are a key part of Biden’s plan to eliminate carbon pollution from the electric sector by the year 2035 and economy-wide by 2050.
The AP says the new rule was among four separate measures targeting coal and natural gas plants that would encourage them to provide clean energy. They also include requirements to reduce toxic wastewater pollutants from coal-fired plants and to safely manage coal ash in unlined storage ponds.
The plan will likely be challenged by Republican-leaning states and those who rely on fossil fuel economies, such as Wyoming. According to a 2019 coal overview by the Wyoming Mining Association, Wyoming produces about 40% of the nation’s coal and has been the leading producer of coal since 1986. The new rulings could face stiff headwinds, including a Supreme Court that has already curtailed the EPA’s reach in previous cases and a possible second Trump administration.
According to the New York Times, the largest number of plants that will be affected by the ruling are in Pennsylvania, Texas, Indiana, Wyoming, Kentucky, West Virginia and Iowa.
