Trump Extends Compliance Deadlines for Biden-era Emissions Rule

On April 8, 2025, President Trump signed the “Regulatory Relief for Certain Stationary Sources to Promote American Energy” Proclamation (the “Proclamation”) extending the compliance deadline for certain stationary sources, such as coal-fired power plants, that are subject to the National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants: Coal- and Oil-Fired Electric Utility Steam Generating Units, 89 FR 38508 (the “Rule”) that was promulgated in 2024.

The Rule imposed more stringent standards for hazardous air pollutants emitted from coal- and oil-fired electric utility steam generating units. The Proclamation “exempts” sources subject to the Rule for a period of two years and extends the compliance deadline from the Rule’s original compliance date of July 8, 2027, to July 8, 2029.

According to the Proclamation, the extension is in the national security interest of the United States because coal-fired electricity generation is essential for the nation’s electricity grid and for ensuring that the nation’s power supply remains secure and reliable. The Proclamation states that the Rule “places severe burdens on coal-fired power plants and, through its indirect effects, on the viability of our Nation’s coal sector.” The Proclamation further asserts that the Rule requires compliance through the use of emissions-control technologies that do not currently exist in a commercially viable form, which risks possible shutdown of coal-fired power plants that are not able to acquire and implement such technologies before the compliance deadline.