Dark Day for Climate, Health as EPA Axes Power Plant Carbon Regs, Reopens Mercury Pollution Loopholes

Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced its plans to unravel critical safeguards that protect people from harmful carbon emissions and hazardous air pollution released by fossil fuel-fired power plants.

EPA is proposing to repeal outright greenhouse gas standards for fossil fuel-fired power plants in part on the false assertion that power plant emissions do not contribute “significantly” to climate change. In fact, coal- and gas-fired power plants are the largest stationary source of U.S. heat-trapping emissions and the United States is the second-largest contributor of annual heat-trapping emissions globally.

Additionally, EPA is proposing to strike critical amendments to the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS). These protections, which had closed mercury polluter loopholes, lowered limits on hazardous air pollutants, and set important pollution monitoring requirements, had been finalized following an evaluation of ongoing public health risks and available pollution control technologies.

Below is a statement by Julie McNamara, associate director of policy for the Climate and Energy Program at the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS).

“Yet another day when the Trump administration proves it can somehow go lower still in its disregard for people’s health and well-being. These are astoundingly shameful proposals. It’s galling to watch the U.S. government so thoroughly debase itself as it sacrifices the public good to boost the bottom line of fossil fuel executives.

“In repealing the carbon standards, Administrator Zeldin is flagrantly disregarding incontrovertible evidence and long-standing precedent, intentionally sidelining EPA from the climate fight and letting fossil fuel companies freely pollute. There’s no meaningful path to meet U.S. climate goals without addressing carbon emissions from coal- and gas-fired power plants—and there’s no meaningful path to meet global climate goals without the United States. This repeal would condemn people across the country and around the world to a future of worsening climate impacts and devastating costs.

“Mercury and other hazardous air pollutants from coal-fired power plants are actively damaging people’s health. By walking back protections that address these harms, despite solutions being readily available, Administrator Zeldin is going out of his way to benefit the worst-of-the-worst polluters while forcing the public to bear the costs.

“People across the country—and around the world—unequivocally deserve better than this. These actions can, should, and will be challenged in court.”