The Environmental Protection Agency has finalized a long-awaited set of regulations regarding

proposed limits on fossil-fueled power plant emissions.

But these new rules could mean the end of the coal industry as a source of electricity generated in the United States.

Stephanie Sigh has more.

Fossil fuel power plants account for more than one quarter of all greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S.

The Biden administration is trying to crack down on the worst polluters and that's the remaining

coal-powered plants which emit the most carbon dioxide.

The new EPA rules require coal plants to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by 90% by 2039 or close.

There are about 200 coal-burning power plants

in operation in the US.

And last year, coal-fired plants

generated a little over 16% of the nation's electricity.

For more on these rules and the reactions to them,

I'm joined by Bloomberg's Jennifer Deloey,

who reports on energy and environmental issues.

Jennifer, thanks so much for joining the news hour.

As you know, the coal industry has already been in decline

for decades in this country.

Will these new rules make an enormous difference when it comes to climate change and public health?

Well, we're already expecting about half of the nation's capacity of coal-fired power to go offline by 2039, which is essentially a stoppage

date in this rule as well. So that's already happening. We're already seeing

that decline. This rule, however, will encourage more coal plants to close.

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