U.S. Environmental Protection Agency officials under President Donald Trump unveiled plans to ease limits on mercury and hazardous air pollutants from coal-fired power plants.
The move aims to lower compliance costs for utilities and support electricity supply as energy demand rises alongside artificial intelligence infrastructure growth.
Environmental Protection Agency leaders argued that relaxing stricter standards would help older generators remain online while reducing regulatory burdens on operators.
Public health advocates warned the rollback could expose vulnerable communities to higher toxin levels and increased medical risks, Reuters reports, as debate intensifies over balancing energy security and environmental safeguards.
Policy Shift And Legal Background
The proposal would revert to earlier pollution rules first introduced during the Obama administration.
Updated 2024 standards remained in place after the Supreme Court declined a legal challenge from several states and industry groups seeking suspension.
Officials now claim the earlier framework already provided sufficient health protection.
Environmental organizations said weakening limits on mercury and toxic metals could increase long-term healthcare costs.
Harold Wimmer of the American Lung Association said, “The updates passed in 2024 were going to…achieve $300 million in additional health benefits.”
He added the standards protected pregnant women, infants and children from exposure.
Economic Arguments And Industry Response
The agency estimates reverting to older limits could save utilities tens of millions of dollars annually through the next decade.
Mining industry representatives supported the decision, arguing growing power demand tied to AI expansion requires dependable baseload generation.
Analysts at Energy Innovation reported rising maintenance costs at aging coal facilities in recent years.
Despite that trend, the administration declared an energy emergency to keep some plants operating longer.
Officials granted temporary exemptions to dozens of generators and encouraged continued coal output to stabilize electricity supply.
Broader Climate Policy Fallout
Critics said the rollback follows broader regulatory changes, including attempts to remove greenhouse gas oversight authority.
Julie McNamara of the Union of Concerned Scientists said, “In attempting to justify this indefensible broadside against public health, EPA Administrator [Lee] Zeldin is now actively hiding from the public massive health harms associated with this repeal.”
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