On Thursday’s broadcast of “CNN News Central,” CNN Chief Climate Correspondent Bill Weir stated that the newly finalized set of rules on coal power plants announced by the Biden administration “essentially signals the end of coal as a power source in the United States.” Because there currently isn’t any technology capable of complying with all the rules, “And so, it will essentially push most of the remaining 200 or so coal-fired plants out of business.”
Weir said, “Well, John, this is really, really significant. It essentially signals the end of coal as a power source in the United States. Right now, four new rule changes, they also include cutting down on the neurotoxin mercury, which comes out of these power plants, the coal ash that gets spilled into waterways, other wastewater, but the big one is this new rule that would require coal-fired plants to reduce 90% of their planet-cooking pollution. And right now, there’s not really a technology capable of doing that. The industry has never really taken carbon capture and sequestration seriously in the United States. And so, it will essentially push most of the remaining 200 or so coal-fired plants out of business. About a quarter of them are scheduled to retire anyway.”
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