Biden going after coal-fired power in different ways following court ruling; renewable-energy tax credits could mean more

Now that the Supreme Court has ruled that the federal government can't broadly regulate carbon emissions from power plants, the Biden administration plans to go after coal-fired plants in other ways, limiting the soot, mercury and nitrous oxides they emit. “While the Court sided with special interests trying to take the country backwards, it did not take away EPA’s ability to regulate greenhouse gases and protect people from pollution,” said White House climate-change adviser and former Environmental Protection Agency administrator.

While the Clean Power Plan proposed by McCarthy and Barack Obama was never put into effect, because courts blocked it, its current goals have largely been met, thanks to the increased efficiency of alternative energy sources. "White House officials said they believe President Biden’s goal of slashing emissions roughly in half by the end of this decade, and fully eliminating fossil fuel emissions from the power sector by 2035, still remains well within reach," reports Lisa Friedman of The New York Times.

"In an interview this week, Joseph Goffman, President Biden’s nominee for EPA’s air chief, said the agency intends to issue a proposed regulation early next year that will curb greenhouse gas emissions from existing coal-burning power plants," and another to "cut emissions from new gas-burning power plants." EPA Administrator Michael Regan "has said those and other rules will have a side-benefit of also reducing greenhouse gas emissions. He also has indicated rule changes such as these might make some coal plants too expensive to continue to operate, resulting in more of them being closed down."

America’s Power, a coal industry lobby, said such closures would make the electric grid less reliable. CEO Michelle Bloodworth "noted that more than 40 percent of the nation’s coal fleet has already announced plans to shut down," Friedman reports. "Jeffrey Holmstead, an energy lawyer who served in the EPA in both Bush administrations, said the utility companies he works with feel that new regulations on their power plants are a 'sideshow' compared with the emissions cuts that could be achieved if Congress approved billions of dollars in tax credits for wind, solar and battery storage. That package is still being negotiated in Congress because of objections from Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., whose vote is key in the evenly divided Senate."