EPA Acts to Reduce Dangerous Air Pollution from New Gas-Burning Power Plants

(Washington, D.C. – November 22, 2024) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today unveiled a proposal to reduce a dangerous type of air pollution from new gas-burning power plants.

The proposal would protect people from nitrogen oxides (NOx) – contaminants that are emitted by gas power plants and that contribute to particle pollution and smog, two types of air pollution linked to premature deaths and other serious health problems like heart attacks and asthma attacks.

“EPA’s clean air standards will provide much-needed pollution limits on the harmful nitrogen oxides from new gas-burning power plants. They’ll provide vital health protections for millions of people in communities across the country,” said Noha Haggag, a senior attorney for clean power issues with Environmental Defense Fund. 

Under the Clean Air Act, EPA must review and revise New Source Performance Standards – our national protections against air pollution from sources like power plants – every eight years. However, our NOx standards for new gas power plants have not been updated in 18 years. 

Our most recent NOx limits, from 2006, are badly out of date and do not reflect the most protective pollution limits achievable through the use of readily available, affordable technology. Meanwhile, new gas-burning power plants with weaker pollution controls are being built across the nation.

As a result of a court-ordered consent decree that resulted from a 2022 citizen suit brought by Environmental Defense Fund and Sierra Club, EPA was required to issue a proposal to update the NOx standards for new gas power plants this month and to take final action by November 2025. EPA will also hold a public comment period for its proposal over the next few months.