EPA finalizes new rules cracking down on power plant emissions

The Environmental Protection Agency finalized four new rules Thursday that set tougher emissions limits on coal and new gas-fired power plants, taking restrictions further than the agency’s earlier proposed regulation and sparking fierce backlash from industry groups that are likely to mount a challenge in court.

The rules, finalized under separate authorities including the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, and the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, come as the Biden administration races to issue its final regulations ahead of the November election and assuage environmental groups and some Democrats who have criticized the White House for softening some of its requirements or extending compliance timelines in recent mandates.