US repeals rules limiting greenhouse gas emissions by power plants

What the report says

The US Environmental Protection Agency has repealed rules limiting greenhouse gas emissions from coal- and gas-fired power plants, a move reported by Al Jazeera on September 14, 2026, as part of President Donald Trump’s broader rollback of climate regulations. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin announced the action in Houston, saying the changes would reduce costs for utilities and help accelerate new energy infrastructure. The agency says the reversal could save power plants more than $300bn and is intended to give utilities more flexibility in how they supply electricity.

According to Al Jazeera, the repeal unwinds protections built over many years to curb emissions linked by scientists to global warming. The EPA is also proposing a separate rule that could make it harder for future administrations to restore similar limits. Environmental and public health groups, along with some Democratic lawmakers, say the rollback will worsen air pollution and increase health risks. They have indicated they will challenge the decision in court.

The article places the move within a wider series of environmental reversals since Trump returned to office in 2025, including the earlier revocation of a 2009 EPA scientific finding that underpinned regulation of greenhouse gases. Supporters of the rollback argue it will protect grid reliability and help meet rising electricity demand, while critics say it undermines climate and health protections. More broadly, the decision matters because power plants are a major source of US climate pollution and because the ruling could shape future federal climate policy.