Christine Ho, christine.ho@sierraclub.org
Washington, D.C. - Today, the Trump Administration announced a proposal by the Environmental Protection Agency—one of several attacks in its anti-public health agenda—to roll back the agency’s Mercury and Air Toxics Standards that limit mercury and other heavy metal emissions from coal- and gas-fired plants.
Last year, the Biden Administration strengthened MATS to drastically reduce mercury and other toxic air emissions from coal-fired power plants. In May, the Trump administration exempted 68 power plants—including some of the biggest polluters in the nation—from MATS after soliciting exemption requests from big polluters over email.
Repealing the MATS update would triple the amount of mercury the nations dirtiest plants are allowed to release, which is particularly threatening to pregnant women and young children, and to triple their emissions of other metallic toxics such as lead, arsenic, and chromium which are known to cause cancer and other illnesses. The Sierra Club’s Trump Coal Pollution Dashboard shows unit by unit estimates of increased pollution communities would face due to the rollback of MATS and other EPA rules.
The public will have 45 days to comment on the proposed repeal.
In response, Sierra Club Climate Policy Director Patrick Drupp issued the following response:
“Every EPA safeguard that this administration is trying to eliminate is a direct attack on the health of hundreds of thousands of Americans. These are commonsense, lifesaving measures that protect families and communities from being exposed to deadly pollutants like mercury in our air and water.
“This proposal to repeal MATS is adding more insult to injury after Donald Trump illegally exempted nearly 70 power plants from these critical guardrails. This embarrassment of an administration must be held accountable for how they so callously betray our communities’ health and our futures.”
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.