The US Environmental Protection Agency has drafted a plan to eliminate all limits on greenhouse gases from coal and gas-fired power plants in the United States, according to internal agency documents seen by US media
The EPA argued in its proposed regulation that carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases from power plants that burn fossil fuels “do not contribute significantly to dangerous pollution” or to climate change because they are a small and declining share of global emissions, according to a New York Times report.
The EPA also said that eliminating those emissions would have no meaningful effect on public health and welfare, the report added.
According to the United Nations, fossil fuels are by far the largest contributors to global warming, accounting for more than 75 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions and nearly 90 per cent of carbon dioxide emissions.
The EPA did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The details of The New York Times report could not be immediately verified.
The US government under President Donald Trump has moved quickly to remove all federal spending related to efforts to combat climate change and to eliminate any regulation aimed at addressing greenhouse gas emissions as part of its effort to bolster oil, gas and mining operations.
