U.S. coal-fired power plants could be forced to shut down two years sooner than envisioned under a Biden administration plan to stifle pollution from the electricity sector.
The potential change being seriously considered now by administration officials would accelerate the required retirement date for coal plants that opt against installing carbon-removal technology at the sites, according to people familiar with the matter who asked not to be named because the regulation is not yet final. That would be a tougher approach than what the Environmental Protection Agency outlined in an initial proposal last year that would give companies until 2040 to shutter the sites.
The matter is not settled and is still being debated internally, as administration officials consider ways to strengthen one of the most consequential climate regulations to come under President Biden.
Spokespeople for the EPA declined to comment on the substance of potential changes, noting the drafted …