EPA Loosens Biden Mercury Emission Limits for Coal Plants (1)

The Trump administration scrapped Biden-era toxic air pollution standards for mercury and other heavy metals Friday, sanctioning less-stringent controls for coal-fired power plants.

The Environmental Protection Agency posted the final rule rolling back the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) on its website Friday, touting the action in a fact sheet as a boost for affordable energy.

“EPA continues enforcing existing, highly effective, and robust 2012 MATS rule requirements, ensuring the public health and the environment are protected without compromising America’s energy or economic prosperity,” according to the fact sheet.

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin announced the final rule at Mill Creek Power Plant in Kentucky, claiming the move would save $670 million in daily living costs.

“The Biden-Harris Administration’s anti-coal regulations sought to regulate out of existence this vital sector of our energy economy,” Zeldin said in a statement.

Clean air advocates have estimated the rule will increase health costs while doing little to boost the coal industry.

“The coal industry is in decline, and dismantling clean air protections won’t bring it back,” John Walke, senior attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council, said in a statement. “It will only lead to more asthma attacks, more heart problems, and more premature deaths.”

The original MATS rule was finalized in 2012 and precipitated a significant drop in power plant mercury emissions, which is commonly known to stunt the development of babies’ brains. The Biden administration tightened those emission limits in 2024.

The stronger limits led to a 90% reduction in harmful mercury and particulate matter pollution since 2012, according to American Lung Association president Harold Wimmer.

“The updates passed in 2024 were going to build on that success and were going to achieve $300 million in additional health benefits,” Wimmer said in a statement on the announcement.

Unwinding the Biden-era limits is part of President Donald Trump’s broad environmental deregulation goals, which he says will free up the oil and gas industry to “unleash American energy.” This latest move comes days after the EPA finalized its decision to rescind the landmark endangerment finding which established greenhouse gases as a threat to public health.

In addition to rule rollbacks, Trump and his EPA have also granted manufacturing and energy industries numerous exemptions from sterilization, greenhouse gas, and other air rules.

The final MATS action flies against commonsense and long-implemented control practices that are already in place in many coal-fired facilities, according to public health and environmental groups. It’s also a glimpse into the administration’s future plans, according to former EPA national program director Bryan Hubbell from Resources for the Future.

“Friday’s announcement is notable because it further signals where the Trump administration’s priorities are for power plant regulations,” Hubbell said. “We should see this rollback primarily as a signal for what’s to come.”