The agency says repealing Biden-era updates to federal mercury rules will save $670 million while critics warn of increased health risks.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced Feb. 20 that it is repealing updated mercury and hazardous air pollutant limits imposed during the Biden administration on coal-fired power plants, according to a report by The Epoch Times, reversing amendments made in 2024 to the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards.
The Biden administration’s 2024 amendments to the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards, commonly known as MATS, sought to tighten mercury emission limits for lignite-fired power plants by 70 percent.
In a formal statement, the EPA said eliminating the updated requirements will save the country an estimated $670 million and contribute to lowering the cost of living. The agency determined that the original 2012 standards already provided “an ample margin of safety” and concluded that further reductions were unnecessary due to the absence of cost-effective advancements in emissions control technology.
EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said the decision would strengthen baseload energy production while maintaining environmental safeguards.
“The Biden-Harris Administration’s anti-coal regulations sought to regulate out of existence this vital sector of our energy economy. If implemented, these actions would have destroyed reliable American energy,” Zeldin said in the agency’s statement.
Environmental advocacy groups sharply criticized the repeal, arguing it would lead to increased mercury and toxic air emissions.
“This unlawful repeal will result in higher levels of mercury, soot, and other hazardous pollution into our air and communities,” Earthjustice attorney Nicholas Morales said in a statement. “With this move, the Trump administration is wiping out health protections critical for protecting children from toxins like mercury just to save the coal industry some money.”
American Lung Association President and CEO Harold Wimmer also urged the EPA to reinstate the stricter limits.
“Weakening the standards now will further harm health,” Wimmer said in a separate statement. “It is unconscionable from a public health standpoint and a further betrayal of EPA’s mission.”
Supporters of the repeal, including Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), chair of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, welcomed the move.
“The Obama Administration’s 2012 MATS rule was one of the biggest blows against West Virginia in the war on coal, putting an indescribable strain on our dedicated coal miners, their families and communities and our entire state,” Capito said in comments included in the EPA’s announcement. “The Biden Administration only made matters worse when it included an even more stringent MATS rule in its package of regulations aimed at eliminating coal from our nation’s energy mix.”
The repeal aligns with broader efforts by the Trump administration to bolster domestic coal production. Last year, President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing federal agencies to identify coal resources on federal lands, remove barriers to coal mining, and prioritize coal leasing.
Following that directive, the Energy Department announced initiatives to expand domestic coal use, including encouraging new investment in coal-powered electricity generation, advancing coal ash conversion technologies, and designating steelmaking coal as a critical material and mineral.
The agency’s action restores the original 2012 MATS framework while ending the stricter limits adopted in 2024, setting up a renewed debate over energy policy, environmental regulation, and public health standards.
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