Advocates issued a scathing rebuke after the Environmental Protection Agency finalized its repeal of the 2024 Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) on Feb. 20, as detailed in an Environmental Defense Fund press release.
What's happening?
The EPA's decision meant that coal- and oil-fired plants were no longer limited on the levels of harmful heavy metals they emit, including mercury.
The Agency's announcement claimed that the repeal was enacted to "ensure affordable, dependable energy for American families and restore American energy dominance."
"The final rule is expected to save an estimated $670 million, savings American families will see in the form of lower everyday living costs," the EPA claimed.
The EPA also ruled that power plants would no longer be required to install systems to monitor the pollutants they emit, a standard on which communities relied to ensure local plants complied with air pollution standards.
"The Biden-Harris administration's anti-coal regulations sought to regulate out of existence this vital sector of our energy economy," Lee Zeldin, the EPA administrator, said in the statement.
Zeldin further asserted that the EPA would not alter limits on mercury pollution from coal plants.
Why is this concerning?
The inhalation of mercury emissions is commonly linked to increased risk of heart disease, lung disease, brain damage, cancer, and premature death.
Environmental advocates slammed the decision.
Surbhi Sarang, a senior attorney for the Environmental Defense Fund, was quoted in the group's press release.
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Repealing MATS would lead to "more mercury and toxic pollution in our air, which will then get into our water, food, and ultimately our children's bodies," Sarang warned.
What's being done about it?
News of the EPA's repeal of the standards came on the heels of a lawsuit filed by several health and environmental groups on Wednesday, Feb. 18.
In the recently filed suit, the groups challenged the EPA's Feb. 12 decision to revoke its landmark 2009 "Endangerment Finding," a federal rule that deemed greenhouse gas emissions a threat to public health.
The EPA's Endangerment Finding served as the basis for numerous key environmental regulations in the U.S. over the past 16 years.
"It's a needless cruelty when modern pollution controls can provide greater safety," Sarang said.
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