EPA announces Guidance Update on Regional Haze Plans
On Feb. 20, 2026, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a memorandum clarifying guidance on Regional Haze State Implementation Plans to support the reliability of our electric grid. Effects on grid reliability have not been taken into account; This guidance update is one of many actions EPA has taken to restructure the broken Regional Haze program and advance cooperative federalism with EPA’s state air partners.
“With recent events like Winter Storm Fern and significant increases in demand in electricity, we must ensure that the electric grid Americans depend on remains reliable,” said Assistant Administrator for Air and Radiation Aaron Szabo. “This guidance update makes certain that the lights will turn on when you flick the switch in your home because that is now a consideration for States when looking to make significant changes to coal power plants for purely ideological purposes.”
