EPA moves to eliminate power plant carbon standards, drawing concern in Georgia

The Environmental Protection Agency has proposed rescinding every remaining federal carbon standard for the power sector after finalizing its repeal of most greenhouse gas limits on power plants.

The agency says the move will save the industry more than $300 billion, but environmental advocates and public health groups have sued, calling the repeal dangerous and illegal.

Adrien Webber is the director of the Georgia chapter of the Sierra Club, the nation’s largest grassroots environmental movement. He said the largest utilities in Georgia stand to benefit from the decision.

“It’s a big giveaway to polluters in the Southeast and here in Georgia,” Webber said. “This is really more of the Trump administration handing a lifeline to the fossil fuel industry and giving them a license to basically do whatever they want.”

According to S&P Global data, Georgia’s coal and gas plants emitted more than 42 million metric tons of carbon dioxide in 2025. Plant Bowen released more than 11.6 million metric tons making it one of the worst emitters in the nation.

Supporters of the deregulation say the move will lead to lower electricity prices.

Webber said the repeal will increase the lifespan of some of the nation’s largest and dirtiest coal plants.

“It definitely benefits our power utilities in the Southeast, specifically Southern Company and then Georgia Power, who are operating some of the largest coal plants in the country, including Plant Bowen and Plant Scherer,” Webber said.

Southern utilities are planning a massive gas buildout in order to meet the demand of new data centers. Georgia Power received a $26 billion federal loan to fund their expansion.

The Environmental Defense Fund estimates that the EPA’s repeal will cause more than 80,000 premature deaths and $1 trillion in healthcare costs through 2047.