On September 14, 2026, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) took the brazen step of ending regulation of greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel power plants. It is widely known that coal and gas power plants are among the largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions in the country and are ultimately driving the climate crisis, worsening extreme weather events, harming the health and wellbeing of all Americans through emissions-caused illnesses such as asthma, and increasing costs for utility customers by prolonging reliance on expensive, aging technologies.
For decades, the EPA has regulated emissions from coal- and gas-fired power plants under the Clean Air Act, enacted in 1970. This decision is a significant reversal of federal climate policy and aligns with broader Trump Administration tactics to undermine the transition to clean energy, weaken climate action, and prop up the fossil fuel industry.
In the face of these unprecedented rollbacks, state and local leadership is more vital than ever before. Minnesota’s Legislature, state agencies, and other regulatory bodies have a long track record implementing strong laws that protect public health, safeguard clean air and water, and advance the transition to clean energy – and that work must accelerate.
At the forefront is Minnesota’s 100% clean electricity law, which requires all utilities to provide their Minnesota customers with 100% carbon-free electricity by 2040. Minnesota is still on track to meet this timeline and coal plants in the state are still slated for retirement as scheduled.
“This latest action from the U.S. EPA and federal administration goes further down the path of climate denial and fossil fuel favoritism,” said J. Drake Hamilton, managing director, science policy at Fresh Energy. “When I am in Turkey for the global climate summit, I will continue to stress from the global stage that many states in the U.S., including Minnesota, are advancing their greenhouse gas emissions reduction policies passed by their state leaders years ago in response to the strong scientific and economic evidence for lowering emissions back against these regressive policies.”
Fresh Energy strongly opposes continued federal efforts to stall climate action and disregard the wealth of scientific evidence demonstrating that greenhouse gas emissions from human activities are driving climate change. We remain committed to advancing clean energy policy in Minnesota while also providing a defensive bulwark against policies that aim to undo clean energy and climate progress.