U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito, chair of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, has expressed approval for the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) proposal to repeal a regulation from the Biden administration known as Clean Power Plan 2.0. This rule affects coal- and natural gas-fired power plants and is seen by Capito as a threat to energy production and jobs in West Virginia.
“Finally, under President Trump’s leadership, we are taking a necessary step towards ending the Clean Power Plan 2.0 once and for all, eliminating the threat this rule poses to our way of life in communities throughout America,” said Chairman Capito. She added that she has long opposed this rule due to its potential economic impacts on West Virginia and concerns over energy reliability nationwide.
Senator Capito has been actively opposing the Clean Power Plan 2.0 since March 2025 when she supported initial deregulation steps by the Trump EPA against Biden-era rules impacting American energy production. In June 2024, she led a group of 43 senators in challenging these regulations through a Congressional Review Act joint resolution of disapproval.
In December 2023, along with Senator John Barrasso, Capito sent letters to EPA Administrator Michael Regan outlining concerns about the plan’s impact on electric reliability. They also communicated with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) urging collaboration with EPA to address these issues.
Earlier actions include leading Republican senators in filing comments against the proposed plan in August 2023 and introducing legislation with U.S. Rep. Carol Miller aimed at preventing its implementation.
Capito’s opposition dates back to her successful challenge alongside Senator Mitch McConnell against President Obama’s original Clean Power Plan in 2015, which was later overturned by the Supreme Court following CRA resolutions of disapproval.
