The Factbox-Biden administration is trying to protect environmental regulations from the ax of Congress

(Reuters) – The Biden administration is rushing to finalize a slew of key environmental rules to help protect them from possible rollback if President Donald Trump win the 2024 presidential election.

Agency rules completed and included in the Federal Register by May 22, 2024 are not subject to the Congressional Review Act, a law that allows a new Congress to nullify recently adopted regulations with a simple majority.

In recent weeks, the Biden administration has announced a steady stream of final rules to implement some of its most ambitious plans, such as boosting electric vehicle adoption and protecting public lands for conservation.

In the coming days, agencies will issue other key regulations intended to help achieve the administration’s goal of decarbonizing the U.S. economy by 2050.

Here are a few:

ELECTRICAL INSTALLATION, MERCURY

The Environmental Protection Agency is expected to unveil its final rule Thursday to curb CO2 emissions from power plants, a major source of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. The rule has been relaxed and now only applies to existing coal and new gas-fired power stations. The use of hydrogen as a means of meeting the new standards is also expected to disappear – measures that could reduce the risk of lawsuits.

The agency is also expected to roll out final rules that will strengthen standards for the discharge of wastewater from industrial facilities, for hazardous air poisons and mercury from power plants, and for the management of toxic coal ash discharged from power plants.

The agency is not expected to complete work on developing a methane tax on oil and gas producers, which was required by the Inflation Reduction Act and proposed in January.

ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEWS

The Council on Environmental Quality is expected to finalize the “Phase 2” National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), part of the Biden administration’s undoing of Trump-era changes to federal law that require federal environmental assessments for major infrastructure projects.

NEPA 2 is expected to include environmental mitigation requirements for projects and environmental justice protections.

OFFSHORE WIND leasing

The US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management will finalize new regulations for offshore wind developments as early as this week. Offshore wind energy is seen as key to decarbonizing the energy sector. The reforms will establish a five-year schedule for public leasing and reduce costs for developers by eliminating meteorological buoy requirements, deferring some survey requirements until a project is approved and allowing incremental financing of decommissioning accounts over the life of a facility.

EFFICIENT DEVICES

The Energy Department could try to finalize efficiency standards for ovens, stoves and washing machines — measures that could reduce emissions by reducing energy use.

(Reporting by Valerie Volcovici; additional reporting by Nichola Groom and Leah Douglas; Editing by Jamie Freed)