And coal is at the center of it.
A Decade-Long Fight Over America’s Power Grid
The battle did not begin with Biden.
The Obama administration’s 2015 Clean Power Plan sought major reductions in carbon dioxide emissions from existing power plants, with coal-fired generation facing substantial pressure under the proposed framework.
The Biden administration later introduced its own set of power-plant regulations.
In April 2024, the EPA finalized standards covering existing coal-fired plants and new natural-gas facilities. The agency said at the time that the rules were intended to reduce pollution while maintaining reliable and affordable electricity.
Critics, however, argued that the requirements would make continued operation of some coal plants increasingly difficult and expensive.
The Trump EPA is now dismantling much of that framework.
Zeldin has described the previous approach in stark terms.
“For over 15 years, the Obama and Biden administrations implemented a war on coal to destroy reliable and affordable energy. The Trump Administration has come in to protect American energy and to make sure you can afford to keep the lights on,” Zeldin said.
$310 Billion in Projected Savings
The EPA’s latest action is not simply symbolic.
According to the agency, repealing the majority of Biden’s 2024 Carbon Pollution Standards is projected to provide up to $310 billion in savings. The calculation covers the period from 2026 through 2047 and includes broader economic effects associated with the regulation.
The administration says those savings could ultimately affect businesses, households and industries that depend on affordable electricity.
Zeldin is also seeking a broader rollback.
EPA has proposed eliminating the remaining greenhouse-gas standards for fossil-fuel-fired power plants. If finalized, the agency estimates that proposal would save approximately $370 million in direct compliance costs over 20 years.
That figure is important because the original claim of $370 billion overstates the EPA’s current estimate by three orders of magnitude.
The combined policy shift is nevertheless enormous.
The administration argues that reducing regulatory pressure will allow American energy producers to make greater use of domestic coal and natural gas while strengthening the electric grid.
Coal Could Make a Remarkable Comeback
Perhaps the most striking number in the EPA’s announcement involves coal production.
The agency projects that coal production for power-sector use could increase by more than tenfold under the new regulatory environment.
That projection illustrates just how dramatically federal policy could change the economics of coal-fired generation.
For years, utilities have been closing coal plants while adding natural gas, solar, wind and other forms of generation.
Now the Trump administration is attempting to preserve more traditional baseload resources as electricity demand rises.
That issue is becoming increasingly important as the United States races to expand artificial intelligence, manufacturing and data-center infrastructure.
Large data centers require enormous amounts of electricity, and their demand does not disappear when the sun goes down or the wind stops blowing.
The administration argues that coal and natural gas can provide the dependable generation necessary to support that growth.
West Virginia Is Watching Closely
Few states have more at stake than West Virginia.
Coal has long been central to the state’s economy and electricity supply, making federal restrictions on coal-fired generation a particularly contentious issue.
West Virginia lawmakers and coal-industry representatives had warned that Biden-era regulations could put additional pressure on the state’s remaining coal plants.
Those concerns are now colliding with a dramatically different federal energy policy.
The Trump EPA says its latest action will remove regulatory barriers and allow greater use of America’s domestic energy resources.
The agency’s own fact sheet says the nation’s power plants provide reliable energy that is essential to national security, heating homes, manufacturing and other critical activities.
That argument is also being made in the context of America’s growing electricity demand.
The Bigger Fight Is Just Beginning
The latest EPA action does not mean every environmental regulation has disappeared.
Existing requirements remain in place, and the proposed broader repeal still has to go through the federal rulemaking process.
EPA also maintains that its actions are grounded in its interpretation of the Clean Air Act.
But the direction is unmistakable.
The Biden administration used federal regulation to push the power sector toward lower greenhouse-gas emissions.
The Trump administration is now attempting to reverse much of that strategy and place greater emphasis on energy abundance, reliability and domestic production.
For coal-producing states, power companies and industries facing rapidly increasing electricity demand, the stakes are enormous.
And with EPA projecting that coal production for power generation could rise more than tenfold, Zeldin’s latest move could mark one of the most consequential changes in America’s energy policy in years.
The fight over America’s electric grid is far from over.
But the regulatory tide has clearly turned.
