EPA Holds Public Hearing on Proposed Repeal of Power Plant Greenhouse Gas Standards

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) held a virtual public hearing on 1–2 October 2026 on its proposed full repeal of greenhouse-gas standards for fossil-fuel-fired power plants, a proposal that has drawn strong opposition from states and environmental groups and is already the subject of active litigation.

FAKTA

• The 1–2 October 2026 hearing concerned a proposed full repeal of greenhouse-gas standards for fossil-fuel-fired electric generating units — it is not a final rule.
• A separate, partial final repeal of the 2024 carbon standards for power plants takes effect on 16 November 2026.
• Public comments on the supplemental proposal are due by 2 November.
• The EPA estimates the repeal would save $370 million in regulatory costs over 20 years.
• States and environmental groups opposed the repeal at the 1 October hearing session, and litigation over the agency’s power-plant rules is active.

What the EPA is proposing

According to the agency, the proposal would fully repeal greenhouse-gas emission standards for fossil-fuel-fired electric generating units — the power plants that burn coal, oil and gas to generate electricity. The virtual hearing on 1 and 2 October gave the public a formal opportunity to comment on the plan.

It is important to distinguish the proposal from a separate EPA action: a partial final repeal of the 2024 carbon standards for power plants, which the agency has already finalized and which takes effect on 16 November 2026, according to legal analysis of the EPA’s partial repeal. The full repeal discussed at this week’s hearing remains at the proposal stage.

Opposition at the hearing

According to reports from the 1 October session, representatives of states and environmental organizations spoke against the proposed repeal, opposing the rollback of limits on carbon pollution from the power sector. The testimony reflects a wider legal confrontation: litigation challenging the EPA’s moves on power-plant emission rules is already active in the courts.

The agency has not yet issued a final decision on the full repeal, and any final rule is widely expected to face further legal challenges from states and environmental groups.

What the EPA says it would save

The EPA estimates that repealing the standards would save approximately $370 million in regulatory costs over a 20-year period. The agency has framed the proposal in terms of reducing regulatory burden, while the states and environmental groups that testified at the hearing argued against weakening the emission standards.

What happens next

Public comments on the supplemental proposal are due by 2 November. Once the comment period closes, the EPA would need to complete the rulemaking process and issue a final rule before the full repeal could take effect. Until then, the full repeal remains a proposal — not a final decision. Read more climate and environment news on Watan News.