Policy Parameters
10-Year Horizon
Scenario Presets:
100%
0% retains strict emissions limits; 100% is total regulatory revocation.
180 GW
Operating US coal-fired generation subject to emission standard compliance.
520 GW
Base-load and combined cycle natural gas fleet affected by standards.
$51 / metric ton
Federal interagency benchmark per ton of carbon dioxide damages ($51 baseline).
Regulatory Context: In the announced action, EPA projected more than $300B in avoided compliance expenditures, scrubbers, and carbon-capture retrofit mandates, alongside increased emissions across fossil fleets.
Impact Balance Assessment
Model Calculated
Industry Compliance Savings
$312.5B
Avoided capital, CCS & efficiency retrofit costs
Estimated CO₂ Emissions Increase
+485.2 Mt/yr
Additional annual power sector GHG footprint
Social Cost of Carbon Increase
$B
Cumulative monetized climate externality damage
Net Economic Benefit
$65.1B
Savings exceed monetized carbon damage
Cost-Benefit Trade-off Curve (0% - 100% Repeal)
Industry Savings
Social Climate Cost
Current Operating Point
Fleet Sector Contribution Breakdown
| Sector Fleet | Effective Capacity | Annual Δ CO₂ | Industry Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coal-Fired Units | 180 GW | 333.0 Mt | $202.5B |
| Natural Gas Units | 520 GW | 152.2 Mt | $110.0B |
| Total Power Fleet | 700 GW | 485.2 Mt | $312.5B |
Source grounding: Associated Press dispatch on EPA power plant greenhouse gas emission limits repeal saving industry more than $300 billion. Externality model based on Interagency Working Group social cost of carbon methodologies ($51/ton standard discount rate baseline).