The US Environmental Protection Agency will delay the issuance of a carbon emissions rule for existing gas generation. But when that rule is issued, it will take a "stronger, more durable approach" than the current proposal, administrator Michael Regan said Feb. 29.

The agency is still poised to finalize carbon rules for coal-fired and new gas-fired power plants "later this spring," Regan added. He also said the EPA will follow up with standards for the entire gas generation fleet that will cover more pollutants.

"This comprehensive approach to reducing climate and air pollution will also consider flexibilities to support grid operators and will recognize that ongoing technological innovation offers a wide range of decarbonization options," Regan said in a statement. "[The] EPA will immediately begin a robust stakeholder engagement process, working with workers, communities with environmental justice concerns, and all interested parties to help create a more durable, flexible, and affordable proposal that protects public health and the environment."

The EPA proposed a standard in May 2023 that would limit the carbon emissions of coal- and gas-fired power plants, including certain existing gas plants. Regan said that the agency's latest plan, to address existing gas generation in a separate rulemaking process, will drive greater emissions reductions.

But some environmental groups cried foul on the delay for existing gas plants.

"The shot clock is winding down for reducing power plant emissions, and rather than taking the shot to eliminate emissions from existing gas plants, [the] EPA has chosen to sit on the bench," Frank Sturges, an attorney with Clean Air Task Force, said in a Feb. 29 statement. "We are extremely disappointed in [the] EPA's decision to delay finalizing carbon pollution standards for existing gas plants, which make up a significant portion of carbon emissions in the power sector."

Industry groups, meanwhile, warned that the EPA's 2023 proposal did not give the power sector enough time to comply, such as by installing carbon capture technology or switching from natural gas to hydrogen. On Feb. 26, a top EPA official assured state regulators and utility executives at a conference in Washington, DC, that the agency would provide more flexibility on timing.