EPA Proposes Strengthened Limits on Harmful NOx Pollution from New Gas Plants

WASHINGTON (November 22, 2024)-Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a proposed rule that significantly strengthens the standards covering nitrogen oxides (NOx) pollution from new gas turbines. These standards have not been updated since 2006 despite ongoing advancements in pollution control technologies and deepening understanding of how NOx pollution harms public health. Today's proposal would deliver substantial improvements to the health and well-being of people across the country, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS).

Below is a statement by Julie McNamara, deputy policy director for the Climate and Energy Program at UCS.

"With this proposal, Administrator Regan has taken a major step forward in closing a glaring gap in public health protections. Technology has long been available to significantly lower NOx emissions from gas plants, but without strengthened standards in place, companies have been taking shortcuts that pad their profits at devastating public cost. Strengthening these standards will better protect people's health, including, most vitally, those who have been inequitably forced to bear the disproportionate burden of fossil fuel pollution. A further tightening of the proposed rule would drive even larger public health gains; we plan to advocate to that end.

"It should not go without noting that the incoming Trump administration has repeatedly vowed to slash rules and regulations issued by agencies across the government. This is what's at stake: critical public health protections that strive to deliver a better tomorrow."

Additional Resource:

Learn more about the harms of gas-fired power plants, including the risks of increased NOx emissions from gas-hydrogen blends, in UCS's October 2024 report, "Beyond the Smokestack."