AEP’s John E. Amos Power Plant located in Winfield.
CHARLESTON – West Virginia Attorney General J.B. McCuskey is praising the Environmental Protection Agency’s repeal of power plant rules established during the Biden administration.
On September 14, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin announced the repeal of the majority of the Biden administration's greenhouse gas requirements for U.S. power plants, an action the agency projects will save $310 billion, and proposed rescinding every remaining greenhouse gas standard for the power sector.
If finalized, the new proposal would save an additional $370 million in direct compliance costs, in addition to the billions more American families and businesses can expect to see saved across the economy.
McCuskey
McCuskey said the move will “unleash America’s energy potential, making it more affordable to power homes and businesses while helping secure the nation’s energy grid.”
Critics say the rule, often called the Clean Power Plan 2.0, was an attempt to force the closure of coal-fired power plants and prohibit new natural gas-fired power plants. They said it would decimate baseload energy production and eliminate jobs across West Virginia.
McCuskey also said the move will remove billions of dollars in costs for the coal and natural gas industries.
“This bold action will drive down costs, helping everyone in America and will ensure that the energy produced in this country is affordable, plentiful, secure and environmentally responsible for everyone,” McCuskey said. “For years, the Clean Air Act was taken over by climate extremism, and this action will restore it to its original intent.”
McCuskey said since the early days of the Obama administration, the EPA has sought to use aggressive emission rules to force coal-fired power plants into retirement.
West Virginia led successful challenges to those actions, and its position ultimately prevailed before the Supreme Court in West Virginia v. EPA.
McCuskey called the Biden-era rule repealed Monday was another unlawful attempt to weaponize the Clean Air Act and evade the Supreme Court’s decision. West Virginia led a 25-state coalition challenging the Biden-era rule and supports the new final rule from the EPA.
Gov. Patrick Morrisey, who served as attorney general from 2013 to 2025, agreed.
Morrisey
“Today marks an important victory for reliable, affordable American energy after years of fighting federal efforts to shut down West Virginia’s coal and natural gas industries,” Morrisey said Monday. “President Trump and (EPA) Administrator (Lee) Zeldin understand that America needs more energy, not regulations that force dependable sources of power off the grid and drive up costs for families and businesses.
“This action will help protect West Virginia jobs, strengthen our electric grid, and allow our state to continue powering the nation.”
Morrisey said the repeal “reinforces all of my work over the past thirteen years against the irrational climate policies of the left.”
“When I served as West Virginia’s Attorney General, I led the large state coalitions to set aside the unlawful carbon regulations that harmed so much of our economy,” he said. “West Virginia v. EPA remains a landmark decision in support of the rule of law.
“I am grateful that the Trump Administration has such a strong set of energy policies and will continue to work with them on advancing the policies behind today’s announcement.”
U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) echoed those sentiments.
Capito
“Finally, under President Trump’s leadership, we are ending the Biden-era Clean Power Plan 2.0, which was designed to eliminate coal and natural gas power generation, drastically increasing Americans’ electric bills,” said Capito, who also is chairwoman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. “I have long opposed this rule and warned of the devastating economic impacts it would have in West Virginia, and the energy reliability concerns it would create across our country.
“I am grateful for EPA Administrator Zeldin’s steadfast commitment to reversing harmful regulations that would penalize coal and natural gas energy generation, as well as his continued support for affordability, electric grid reliability and American energy dominance.”
In announcing the repeal, Zeldin said the Obama and Biden administrations “implemented a war on coal to destroy reliable and affordable energy” for more than 15 years.
“The Trump Administration has come in to protect American energy and to make sure you can afford to keep the lights on,” Zeldin said. “Americans will see a decrease in electricity prices, but this is just the beginning. We are working to go even further so that American energy can be fully unleashed.
“Realizing the full potential of American energy means more jobs, lower prices, and a more prosperous America.”
