The EPA on Thursday announced a series of actions to address pollution from fossil fuel power generators, including a final rule for existing coal-fired and new natural gas-fired plants that will eventually require them to capture 90 percent of their carbon dioxide emissions.
The agency said that the rules, which alter some of the timelines for implementing carbon capture systems outlined in last year’s proposal, would result in $370 billion in net climate and health benefits over the next two decades and avert 1.38 billion metric tons of carbon pollution through 2047.
In addition to the power plant regulations, the agency announced tighter mercury and air toxics standards, limits on the contaminants in wastewater discharge from coal-fired power plants, and regulations on coal ash, a byproduct of burning coal.
