Amy Dominguez, amy.dominguez@sierraclub.org
Salt Lake City – In a move that furthers efforts to dismantle the legal foundation for federal climate regulation, the Trump administration today proposed to repeal the Endangerment finding for power plants – an action that would permanently strip the Environmental Protection Agency of its authority to limit greenhouse gas emissions from coal and gas power plants under the Clean Air Act. It would strip EPA of one of its most powerful tools for combating climate change.
Combined with its February repeal of the Endangerment Finding for motor vehicles, the administration is doing all it can to paralyze the EPA from legally acting on the two largest sources of carbon pollution in the country.
Utah coal plants emitted over 23 million tons of carbon in 2025, and some of the states worst polluters, the Hunter and Huntington coal plants, owned by Rocky Mountain Power parent Company, PacifiCorp, have been slated to stay in operation despite the cost-benefit and affordability of renewable energy.
While EPA prioritizes corporate polluters, the state of Utah has no choice but to fall in line. In March, Governor Cox signed SB 234, Rulemaking Amendments, significantly limiting the ability for state agencies to adopt stronger safeguards beyond federal minimum standards, even when state-specific conditions demand added protections. Now, expert agencies are constrained from enacting and enforcing regulations that would protect beyond federal standards unless specific direction from legislators is given.
The handouts and regulatory giveaways come as renewable energy continues to outperform coal in the marketplace. In May, solar energy generated more electricity than coal across the entire country. That month also marked a new first for Utah after it produced more power from solar than any other source. The coal industry cannot compete with solar—it’s being kept on life support by taxpayer subsidies and regulatory handouts, while ordinary families pay the price in higher electricity bills, dirtier air, and more extreme weather fueled by carbon pollution.
“Imagine going to the doctor’s office to be told you’re very sick, but that it’s no longer their duty to provide treatment. This proposal essentially sets EPA up to do the very same thing,” said Senior Campaign Organizer for the Beyond Coal Campaign, Luis Miranda. “Protecting our health is the reason the EPA exists, and this proposal abandons that responsibility on purpose. Utahns will shoulder the price reflected in expensive utility bills and worse air quality. Meanwhile, solutions like renewable energy are accessible and affordable and remain sidelined. What’s the point of an Environmental Protection Agency without agency to actually protect the environment?”
“While wildfires rage, floods devastate communities, and families struggle to afford skyrocketing electricity bills and insurance premiums, the Trump administration is handing the fossil fuel industry a license to keep polluting,’ said Sierra Club Chief Program Officer Holly Bender. “This is full-throated climate denial while the climate crisis happens in real time and a shocking betrayal of the American public. The Sierra Club will fight back against this reckless and dangerous proposal with everything we have in the courts, in Congress, and in communities across the country.”
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About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.