The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said on Feb. 20 it would repeal Biden-era rules that further limited mercury and hazardous air pollutant emissions from coal-fired power plants.
The agency determined that the 2012 standards already offered “an ample margin of safety” and that the Biden-era amendments were not necessary because there are no cost-effective developments in control technology.
EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said the rollback will enable the country to enhance baseload power while maintaining protections for public health and the environment.
“The Biden-Harris Administration’s anti-coal regulations sought to regulate out of existence this vital sector of our energy economy. If implemented, these actions would have destroyed reliable American energy,” Zeldin said in the statement.
Some environmental groups criticized the move, saying the rollback will increase mercury and hazardous toxin emissions from power plants, increasing the risk of brain damage and threatening public health.
“With this move, the Trump administration is wiping out health protections critical for protecting children from toxins like mercury just to save the coal industry some money.”
American Lung Association President and CEO Harold Wimmer called on the EPA to restore the amendments.
Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), chair of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, supported the EPA’s move to overturn regulations.
“The Biden Administration only made matters worse when it included an even more stringent MATS rule in its package of regulations aimed at eliminating coal from our nation’s energy mix.”
