Trump adminstration rolls back mercury rules for coal-fired power plants
The Allegheny Front • • general
Key Points:
- The Trump administration is rolling back a Biden-era update to the Mercury and Air Toxics Standard (MATS), which aimed to further reduce mercury emissions from coal-fired power plants using existing technology and mandated emissions monitoring.
- The rollback exempts the entire coal power industry from the stricter 2024 rules, reverting to the 2012 Obama-era standards that had already cut mercury emissions by 90 percent.
- EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin and coal industry representatives argue the rollback supports economic growth, grid reliability, and prevents premature coal plant retirements amid rising electricity demand.
- The EPA estimates the rollback will save utilities $78 million annually from 2028 to 2037 but did not assess the health costs of increased pollution, while environmental
