Business leaders reject Biden’s power plant regulations with ambitious climate targets.

The Biden Administration’s New Power Plant Rules Draw Backlash from U.S. Chamber of Commerce

The Biden administration has released its toughest-ever rules for power plants, requiring steep pollution cuts from the U.S. power infrastructure that uses natural gas and coal, the largest sources of the nation’s electricity generation. However, the country’s largest business organization, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, has issued a statement urging the administration to propose more reasonable carbon reduction goals for power plants to avoid disrupting the future power supply.

Going Too Far, Too Fast?

The Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed power plant rules mandate that most power facilities that use fossil fuels begin capturing 90 percent of their carbon by 2030 or 2035, or shut down. This has drawn criticism from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, with Marty Durbin, president of the Chamber’s Global Energy Institute, stating that “EPA’s new power plant regulations go too far, too fast.”

Durbin argues that regulations must be grounded in what is technologically feasible and commercially available, and going beyond that could threaten electric reliability and raise energy prices to unsustainable levels, harming the entire economy.

A More Rational Approach

The Chamber of Commerce has called on the EPA to reconsider its proposal by adopting a more rational approach that better balances electric reliability and affordability with carbon reduction goals. In response, the White House has stated that the administration is focused on reaching these goals without disturbing the economy’s momentum.

“We’re doing three things: We’re building the team, we’re getting the money out the door, and then we’re trying to tell the story. Everything requires a balance. It’s all about timing. It’s all about focus,” said White House Infrastructure Implementation Coordinator Mitch Landrieu during a press briefing.

Getting It Just Right

With concerns being expressed from both sides, the White House is trying to strike a balance. “With everything that we do, somebody will say you’re going too fast. Somebody will say you’re going too slow. Our job is to try to get it just right. And to make sure that this economic boom that we’re experiencing right now is sustainable,” said Landrieu.

• The Biden administration has released its toughest-ever rules for power plants.
• The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has issued a statement urging the administration to propose more reasonable carbon reduction goals for power plants.
• The proposed power plant rules require steep pollution cuts from the U.S. power infrastructure that uses natural gas and coal.
• The draft rules mandate that most power facilities that use fossil fuels begin capturing 90 percent of their carbon by 2030 or 2035, or shut down.
• The White House is focused on reaching these goals without disturbing the economy’s momentum.