EPA to reverse Obama-era coal emissions rule


The Environmental Protection Agency is planning on eliminating a 2015 requirement that new coal-fired power plants be built with technology to capture carbon dioxide emissions.
Andrew Wheeler, the acting EPA administrator and a former coal industry lobbyist, said the agency is "rescinding unfair burdens on America's energy providers and leveling the playing field so that new energy technologies can be part of America's future." He added that capturing carbon is too expensive, and businesses will be able to come up with other innovative solutions if they have the money.
The government recently released its dire National Climate Assessment, which says climate change caused by humans is making temperatures rise, leading to more extreme weather conditions. Scientists warn that only "decisions made today" can stop the damage.
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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
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