The Environmental Protection Agency announced a delay in implementing rules to reduce emissions from existing natural gas plants that release harmful air pollutants and contribute to global warming. The agency is still moving forward with finalizing rules for coal-fired power plants and new gas plants that have not yet come online, aiming to slow down planet-warming pollution from the power sector, which is the nation's second-largest contributor to climate change.
The EPA's decision to review standards for existing gas plants and expand the rules to cover more pollutants follows concerns raised by environmental justice groups. These groups argued that the initial plan allowed excessive toxic air pollution, disproportionately affecting low-income neighborhoods near industrial sites.
