EPA proposes repealing some mercury and greenhouse gas limits

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Federal regulators are proposing to repeal Obama- and Biden-era regulations that forced power plants to cut harmful pollutants, including mercury, lead and arsenic, as well as greenhouse gases, US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administrator Lee Zeldin announced on Wednesday. 

The proposed rollbacks — which would get rid of all greenhouse gas emission standards for power plants and scrap Biden-era amendments that made the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards more strict — are not finalized and will be open to a public comment period.

“These actions would result in saving over a billion dollars per year, something American families are demanding,” Zeldin said at a press conference.  “Both proposed rules … would deliver savings to American families on electricity bills, and it will ensure that they have the electricity that they need.” 

The move reflects the Trump administration’s ongoing attack on regulations it claims are burdensome for the fossil fuel industry. President Trump declared an “energy emergency” on the first day of his second term and recently ordered some soon-to-be-shuttered coal and oil and gas plants to remain open, despite grid operators not asking for such interventions and analysts warning that keeping the aging plants operating would cost taxpayers tens of millions of dollars.

“Let’s celebrate coal again,” said Congressman Mike Rulli (R-Ohio) at the press conference. 

Several environmental groups skewered the proposals, pointing to the significant health impacts from mercury exposure, including on the brains of children. 

“Every EPA safeguard that this administration is trying to eliminate is a direct attack on the health of hundreds of thousands of Americans,” Sierra Club climate policy director Patrick Drupp said in a statement. “These are commonsense, lifesaving measures that protect families and communities from being exposed to deadly pollutants like mercury in our air and water.”

“Every EPA safeguard that this administration is trying to eliminate is a direct attack on the health of hundreds of thousands of Americans.” – Patrick Drupp, Sierra Club 

The latest proposed rollbacks would gut two of the major environmental rules put in place over the past decade. For air pollutants from power plants, it would remove the mandatory 70% reduction in mercury emissions and the 67% reduction in toxic metals such as lead, nickel and arsenic required under the Biden administration amendment that strengthened the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards for power plants. Zeldin pointed out the Biden administration changes haven’t fully taken hold and, if the proposed changes are passed, the Mercury and Air Toxics Standard would remain in effect in its previous form.

“Let’s celebrate coal again.” – Congressman Mike Rulli (R-Ohio)

The second proposal would remove greenhouse gas standards that require coal plants and new natural gas plants to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 90% by 2032 and 2039, respectively. 

“What’s been done up to this point is literally a unilateral disarmament of the American economy,” said Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-ND). “We don’t need to disarm because the world is relying on us.” 

Several Republican members of Congress and Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren took turns praising the proposals and thanking Zeldin and President Trump. Many touted the “commonsense” proposals that would strengthen the grid and allow the US to lead in the development of artificial intelligence (AI), which requires a lot of energy use.

“We need to produce, but also build infrastructure to deliver energy to all communities,” Zeldin said. “Data centers that support AI alone will eat up nearly 10% of the US electricity supply within 10 years.” 

Mercury is highly toxic, especially to babies and children, impacting the brain and nervous system. Coal plants are the dominant cause of mercury emissions in the US. Once emitted, mercury can turn into methylmercury, polluting land, water and air and can accumulate in fish.  The EPA’s website warns that “more than 75,000 newborns in the United States each year may have increased risk of learning disabilities” after exposure to methylmercury. Lead, nickel and arsenic are also highly toxic and linked to multiple health problems including cancer, impaired brain development, kidney and respiratory problems. 

The Biden EPA estimated that the stricter emission rules for mercury and other toxics would bring the US up to $1.9 billion in health benefits and $1.4 billion in climate benefits.

Vickie Patton, general counsel of the nonprofit the Environmental Defense Fund, pointed out that power plants are the “largest sources of dangerous pollution in the nation,” in a statement. 

“These proposals would allow fossil fuel power plants to pour more pollution into our air – putting the health, safety and well-being of all Americans at risk,” Patton said. “They would lead to more illnesses, which in turn would mean more days missing school and work, more visits to doctors and hospitalizations, and increased medical costs.”

Featured image: EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin at an event in June 2024. (Credit: Gage Skidmore/flickr)