EPA delays rules for existing natural gas power plants until after the November election

By MATTHEW DALY
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Environmental Protection Agency said Thursday it is delaying planned rules for existing natural gas plants that emit harmful air pollutants and contribute to global warming. The agency said it is still on track to finalize rules for coal-fired power plants and new gas plants that have not come online, a key step to slow planet-warming pollution from the power sector, the nation’s second-largest contributor to climate change. But in a turnabout, the agency said it will review standards for existing gas plants and expand the rules to include more pollutants. The change came after environmental justice groups complained the earlier plan allowed too much toxic air pollution that disproportionately harms low-income neighborhoods.