Governor Polis: EPA Dismantling Clean Air Protections from Coal Power Plants Will Increase Energy Costs and Threaten Americans’ Health

DENVER - Today, Governor Jared Polis released the following statement in response to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announcement that it is attempting to eliminate limits on greenhouse gas emissions for coal- and natural gas-fired power plants.

"What year is it? And how can such a backwards policy be coming forward now? Despite these harmful federal headwinds, Colorado is taking bold action to reach 100 percent low-cost clean energy, meet our climate goals, and reduce energy bills. The EPA removing limits on coal pollution will lead to increased costs, poorer air quality, and health impacts. Coal is the most expensive form of energy that powers our grid. Coloradans already face worsening fire seasons, unprecedented drought, and low water flows. This EPA decision will worsen these impacts on Coloradans' health, increase costs, harm our environment, and make it harder to combat the impacts of climate change," said Governor Polis.

"Clean air protections are public health protections. Coloradans are already feeling the health effects of air pollution, wildfire smoke, and high heat. Weakening limits on climate pollution moves us in the wrong direction, especially for communities already dealing with poor air. Colorado will continue using the tools we have to protect people's health and help ensure everyone can breathe cleaner air," said Jill Hunsaker Ryan, Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.

"Colorado is rapidly transitioning to affordable clean energy solutions to save Coloradans money, protect our grid from unreliable coal power plants, and move closer to our goal of net-zero emissions in the state by 2050," said Colorado Energy Office Executive Director Will Toor. "Through increased fuel costs and expensive investments in aging infrastructure, the Trump administration's attempts to save an obsolete fuel source such as coal will only drive up electricity prices across the country while contributing to the harmful pollution that already plagues our region."

The EPA plans to eliminate regulations on existing coal and new natural gas power plants that require on-site capture of carbon pollution to prevent its release into the air. According to the Associated Press and the EPA's own data, eliminating this rule will lead to higher costs, faster warming, more illnesses like asthma from pollution, and more preventable deaths. The power plant rules were expected to reduce carbon emissions by nearly 1.4 billion metric tons by 2047. This action follows the Trump administration's decision in February to repeal a finding from nearly two decades ago that climate-related emissions endanger public health, which formed the basis of several federal climate policies. The current administration has taken aim at a number of these rules, targeting dozens of environmental protections in order to repeal emissions limits on vehicles and trucks, mileage standards, and restrictions on hazardous pollutants like mercury.

Governor Polis has taken bold action to meet the state's climate goals, including signing legislation to create state-level limits on emissions from coal-fired power plants, boost transit options, and save Coloradans money on utility bills with innovative technology like heat pumps, geothermal, and clean energy. As markets transition to lower cost renewable energy sources and away from more expensive coal power, Colorado's Office of Just Transition within Colorado's Department of Labor and Employment is assisting workers and communities that will be affected by the loss of jobs and revenues.

###