Deregulation, Power, and the Great American Comeback

You can thank EPA Administrator and Secretary of Common Sense, Lee Zeldin, the next time you flip on the air conditioner without triggering a rolling blackout—or a second mortgage to pay your electric bill.

That’s because this week, the Environmental Protection Agency under Secretary Zeldin, with the support of a rock-solid team of conservative leaders, proposed one of the most important deregulatory reversals in decades—repealing the burdensome, ideologically driven Biden-era power plant rules that punished American energy producers and jeopardized the grid.

In short, this administration is finally pulling the plug on the bureaucratic war against American energy.

Let’s break it down.

The War on Reliable Power: Repealed

Under the Biden-Harris regime, the EPA launched an all-out assault on fossil fuel power plants through its so-called “Clean Power Plan 2.0” and a bloated revision of the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS). These rules, crafted not with the average American in mind, but rather with climate activists and green tech investors whispering in the administration’s ear, sought to force the shutdown of coal, oil, and gas-fired plants across the country.

The result? Higher utility bills. Strained grids. States like Texas and California praying the wind blows and the sun shines. And an increased reliance on energy sources we don’t control—whether that’s Middle Eastern oil or Chinese solar panels.

Now, the EPA is reversing course. The newly proposed rules repeal greenhouse gas regulations imposed under Section 111 of the Clean Air Act, and undo the costly 2024 amendments to MATS that made it virtually impossible for coal plants to stay open.

This is more than a policy tweak—it’s a full-scale rollback of weaponized environmental policy.

American Energy = American Security

Let’s be clear: America didn’t become the economic engine of the 20th and 21st centuries on dreams and windmills. We did it with cheap, reliable, abundant energy—energy that fueled our industries, heated our homes, and kept our lights on.

Energy independence is national security. And base-load power—yes, from coal, oil, and gas—is what keeps America running. From AI data centers to Ford F-150 assembly lines, from refrigerated food warehouses to residential neighborhoods, we need electricity when we need it, not just when the weather cooperates.

Zeldin’s EPA gets that. This proposal lifts the regulatory foot off the neck of America’s power sector. According to the agency’s own projections, this would save the energy sector nearly $19 billion over two decades, or about $1.2 billion annually—money that would otherwise be passed on to you and me in the form of higher prices.

Smashing the Myth: Emissions vs. Reality

Here’s the part you won’t hear on MSNBC or in the Sierra Club newsletter: the U.S. power sector has already crushed its emissions goals. Mercury emissions? Down 90% since 2011. Non-mercury metals like lead and arsenic? Slashed by 81%. And acid gases? Reduced 96%. That’s not theory—it’s fact.

Yet the Biden EPA insisted on tightening the screws anyway. Why? Because the green lobby doesn’t want cleaner coal—they want no coal. No gas. No oil. They want to artificially force a “transition” by regulating legacy energy out of existence, no matter the human cost.

Now, the Supreme Court made clear in West Virginia v. EPA that the federal government can’t hijack the Clean Air Act to reshape America’s entire energy economy. The Biden administration ignored that ruling. Zeldin’s EPA is finally restoring the rule of law.

Restoring the Balance

This isn’t just about cutting costs—it’s about restoring balance. Under Zeldin’s leadership, the EPA is focused on real outcomes, not fantasy land fuel-shifting schemes dreamed up by Beltway activists.

One highlight: the repeal of carbon capture mandates for new natural gas turbines. While carbon capture might be a tool for the future, it’s not ready for prime time—and forcing its implementation today is like making every car come with a flux capacitor. It’s a fantasy tax disguised as regulation.

Likewise, the repeal of new PM monitoring requirements (that’s filterable particulate matter for you civilians) will provide regulatory certainty for energy producers in places like Kentucky, Texas, North Dakota, and West Virginia—states with real jobs, real people, and real bills to pay.

Powering the Comeback

This move isn’t just pro-energy. It’s pro-American. It’s a major pillar in President Trump’s “Great American Comeback,” putting us back on track to energy dominance, where we’re no longer begging OPEC for mercy or outsourcing power to the whims of the global climate elite.

Zeldin’s proposals restore the EPA’s true mission: protecting the environment without strangling the economy. They also respect state sovereignty, free markets, and technological innovation—things that actually work.

And maybe best of all? They ensure that when summer hits full blast next year, you’ll still be able to run your air conditioner, your fridge, your server farm—and your life.

Final Thought

For years, Washington bureaucrats have treated American energy like a problem to be solved rather than the miracle it is. But thanks to bold leadership from Lee Zeldin and Republicans in Congress, we’re flipping the switch back to sanity.

The path to prosperity runs through power—American power. It’s time to stop apologizing for using it.

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Endnotes

1. EPA Press Release, “EPA Proposes to Repeal Greenhouse Gas Standards and 2024 MATS Amendments,” U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, June 2025.
2. Supreme Court Decision, West Virginia v. EPA, 597 U.S. ___ (2022), which held that the EPA lacked authority to reshape the U.S. power grid under the Clean Air Act without explicit Congressional authorization.
3. U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), “Electric Power Monthly,” updated April 2025 – data on coal and natural gas as essential baseload power sources.
4. EPA Air Trends Report, “Progress on Mercury and Hazardous Air Pollutants,” March 2022. Mercury emissions from coal plants have declined over 90% since 2011.
5. EPA Regulatory Impact Analysis, “Proposed Repeal of Clean Power Plan 2.0,” March 2025. Estimates show $19 billion in regulatory savings over 20 years.
6. National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA), “Grid Reliability and Baseload Generation,” 2023 briefing. Highlights risk to grid from premature shutdown of fossil fuel plants.
7. American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity (ACCCE), “The Economic Costs of the 2024 MATS Rule,” February 2025. Identifies $1.2 billion in annual regulatory burdens tied to MATS revisions.
8. Congressional Research Service, “The Clean Power Plan and Its Legal History,” updated December 2024. Reviews the policy and legal trajectory of Obama- and Biden-era EPA rules.
9. Trump Executive Order 13873, “Power the Great American Comeback,” January 2025. Directs federal agencies to reduce regulatory burdens and restore energy dominance.
10. The Wall Street Journal, Editorial Board, “The EPA and the Power Grid: Time to End the War on Energy,” June 13, 2025. Commentary supporting the repeal as essential to affordable electricity.

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Aaron Ackerman is a contributor to Direct Line News.   He can be reached at Aaron.Ackerman@mcgopclub.com.

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