By H. Sterling Burnett, Anthony Watts, Linnea Lueken
‘This represents a massive victory for energy and climate realists who have fought this unscientific overreach for decades.’
SCHAUMBURG, IL (September 14, 2026) — Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin on Monday announced the repeal of an Obama/Biden rule that regulated emissions of greenhouse gases from power plants with the intent to shutter all coal and most natural gas power plants in America.
The Trump administration says the change will remove more than $300 billion in costs to the American electricity industry. Zeldin has in past interviews stated that carbon dioxide is not a pollutant and that natural forcings, not human-generated emissions of greenhouse gases, are the primary drivers of global warming.
The following statements from energy and environment experts at The Heartland Institute may be used for attribution. For more information or to schedule an interview, please contact Vice President and Director of Communications Jim Lakely at jlakely@heartland.org or call/text 312-731-9364.
The Heartland Institute is a national free market think tank that The Economist magazine called “the world’s most prominent think-tank promoting skepticism about man-made climate change.”
Heartland has organized 16 International Conferences on Climate Change with the last in April 2026 that featured Zeldin as the opening keynote speaker. Heartland also published the 3,000-page Climate Change Reconsidered series of volumes by the Nongovernmental International Panel on Climate Change.
“EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin’s action is welcome, but overdue. The Clean Air Act does not countenance restrictions on carbon dioxide for power plants, so the efforts by Biden and Obama to do so through regulations was illegal to start with – which is the why the courts issued stays for the power plant rules.
“There is no climate catastrophe, but if there were, it is Congress’ responsibility, and its alone, to regulate energy and emissions through its interstate commerce power. EPA should never attempt this again. Thanks, President Trump, for this move in the right direction.”
H. Sterling Burnett, Ph.D.
Director, Arthur B. Robinson Center on Climate & Environmental Policy
The Heartland Institute
hsburnett@heartland.org
“The case against carbon dioxide too often ignores its well-documented benefits. Peer-reviewed research shows that rising atmospheric CO₂ has contributed substantially to the greening of the planet by increasing photosynthesis and plant growth, while also benefiting the productivity of important food crops. CO₂ is, after all, an essential ingredient for plant life, and satellite observations have documented widespread increases in vegetation across much of the globe.
“If power-plant CO₂ emissions are supposedly destroying the planet, a greener Earth with enhanced plant growth is an inconvenient fact that deserves far more attention. Any rational assessment of CO₂ regulation should consider these measurable benefits alongside its claimed costs.”
Anthony Watts
Senior Fellow
Arthur B. Robinson Center on Climate and Environmental Policy
The Heartland Institute
awatts@heartland.org
“It was never appropriate for the EPA to regulate carbon dioxide, a gas essential to life on Earth. The demonization and then overregulation of carbon dioxide and other trace gases has led to colossal increases in energy costs, which then exacerbated the rising costs of food and other essential goods and services.
“Everything runs on energy. It’s not even just about the cost of your household electric bill, but everything that you interact with on a daily basis. This represents a massive victory for energy and climate realists who have fought this unscientific overreach for decades.”
Linnea Lueken
Senior Fellow
Arthur B. Robinson Center on Climate and Environmental Policy
The Heartland Institute
llueken@heartland.org
The Heartland Institute is a national nonprofit organization founded in 1984 and headquartered in Schaumburg, Illinois. Its mission is to discover, develop, and promote free-market solutions to social and economic problems. For more information, visit our website or call 312/377-4000.
The Heartland Institute is one of the world’s leading free-market think tanks. It is a national nonprofit research and education organization based in Arlington Heights, Illinois. Its mission is to discover, develop, and promote free-market solutions to social and economic problems.
