Governor Lamont, Attorney General Tong, Acting Commissioner Cimino Criticize Trump Administration Repeal of Carbon Pollution Standards for Power Plants

(HARTFORD, CT) - Governor Ned Lamont, Attorney General William Tong, and Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Acting Commissioner Emma Cimino are criticizing the Trump administration's announcement today that it finalized its repeal of carbon pollution standards for power plants.

First proposed last summer, this rollback by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will eliminate federal greenhouse gas standards for existing coal and new gas generation. The decision will leave hundreds of millions of Americans exposed to carbon emissions from fossil fuel-fired power plants-leading to higher costs, dirtier air, and worse health outcomes. The final repeal is being announced alongside a new supplemental proposal to eliminate EPA's authority to regulate power plants' carbon pollution altogether.

The U.S. Climate Alliance, to which Connecticut belongs, submitted coalition-wide comments in strong opposition to the proposal, as did a group of attorneys general, including Attorney General Tong.

"On a day when Connecticut residents are recovering from a 100 to 200 year 'rain bomb' flooding event intensified by climate change, the Trump administration finalizes another action that rolls back standards on greenhouse gas emissions, this time for fossil-fuel fired power plants," Governor Lamont said. "This announcement by Trump's EPA ignores settled science and will prolong our reliance on dirtier, more expensive sources of electricity while harming the environment and increasing risks to public health. Here in Connecticut, we will continue to fight these backwards policies to lower costs and protect the health of Connecticut residents."

"Trump is sacrificing the air we breathe for short-term profits for the world's biggest polluters," Attorney General Tong said. "No one believes for a second that these massive corporations are going to pass a single cent of savings onto American consumers. And here in Connecticut, the influx of smog from cross-state polluters will be worse than ever. We've fought every one of these reckless rollbacks, and we're ready to sue again now to protect our health and safety."

"Another week, and another pollution rollback by the Trump Administration making Americans less safe, less healthy, and costing us more money, all in the service of the fossil fuel industry," Acting Commissioner Cimino said. "Power plants are the largest industrial source of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States, accounting for a quarter of the nation's climate pollution. Connecticut already suffers from some of the worst air quality in the United States, and we're paying for it in the form of millions spent on healthcare costs, and storm-related infrastructure and property damage. This action costs Connecticut residents."

These standards, which were put into place by the Biden administration in 2024, would have delivered $370 billion in net savings and prevented 1,200 premature deaths, 1,900 asthma cases, 48,000 school absence days, and 57,000 lost workdays by 2035. Instead, the Trump administration's EPA is ignoring decades of proven scientific research on the public health effects of greenhouse gas pollution, abandoning its obligations under the Clean Air Act, and ignoring the will of the American people who overwhelmingly support regulating carbon pollution.

Air quality in Connecticut exceeded the federal health-based standards for ozone (smog) on 23 days in 2024, 22 days in 2025, and 17 days so far in 2026. Individuals in sensitive groups, including children, older adults, and those with pre-existing health conditions who are exposed to unhealthy levels of air pollution are at an increased risk of developing respiratory symptoms and may experience shortness of breath or difficulty breathing. Children and people with asthma or other cardiovascular or lung diseases are most at risk of experiencing these symptoms. People experiencing severe symptoms are more likely to miss work or school and seek medical treatment.