By Jonathan Gallardo
Gillette News Record
Via- Wyoming News Exchange

GILLETTE — Last week, the Biden administration finalized a rule that compels coal power plants and new natural gas-fired power plants to cut or capture 90% of their climate pollution by 2032.

The rule was one of a handful that was finalized at the end of April to reduce pollution from fossil fuel-fired power plants. It says that coal-fired power plants that plan to operate in 2039 and beyond must capture 90% of their carbon by the start of 2032.

Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso told the News Record that with this decision, “the administration has declared war against American energy.”

“The president told the EPA to prioritize climate over energy that’s affordable, available and reliable,” he said. “America needs all the energy, and nobody does it better than Wyoming, in terms of respect for the environment. These guys don’t seem to understand we can protect the environment without punishing the economy.”



“By developing these standards in a clear, transparent, inclusive manner, EPA is cutting pollution while ensuring that power companies can make smart investments and continue to deliver reliable electricity for all Americans,” said EPA Administrator Michael Regan in a press release.

Barrasso said if left unchanged, this rule will force the U.S. to be reliant on other countries for energy.

“Where do you have to turn for energy? Iran, China, Russia, Saudi Arabia? Nobody does it as well as we do,” Barrasso said.

There’s only one solution to fix this, Barrasso said, and it starts at the top.

“We need a different president,” he said. “I’m doing everything I can to make sure we have a Republican Senate, and Donald Trump back in the White House. If Trump is elected, he will come in with a slew of executive orders to overturn some of the things that the Biden administration is doing.”

If the Republicans have a majority in the Senate, they can “confirm conservative judges and make sure (Trump) has a cabinet in place that can protect our energy economy, as well as our environment.”

Barrasso said the rule will hurt many people who work at these power plants to provide the country with energy. He is a big supporter of carbon capture and the research that’s going on at the Dry Fork Station in Campbell County, but he said coal should not be left behind.

“I always thought that American ingenuity and inventiveness was a solution, and not punishing hard-working people,” he said.