Public health and environmental groups have sued the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) over its plan to repeal greenhouse-gas rules for power plants. They argue the rollback conflicts with the Clean Air Act, abandons the EPA’s duty to protect public health and could leave the country’s largest industrial source of climate pollution largely unchecked, potentially causing thousands of premature deaths.

The EPA says the restrictions provide “virtually no benefits” and argues that climate-related harms are too indirect to link specifically to US power-sector emissions. It estimates the repeal would save utilities $310 billion and power plants a further $370 million in compliance costs, while advocacy groups warn of worsening air pollution, extreme heat and severe weather, particularly affecting children, pregnant people and already overburdened communities.