Trump's EPA Poised to Undo Progress on Mercury Pollution Reduction

Under Acting Administrator Andrew Wheeler, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has relentlessly attacked and rolled back public health protections, including those aimed at limiting pollution from coal-fired power plants, decreasing potent methane pollution from oil and gas wells, and reducing...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Policy File 2018
Main Authors: Hardin, Sally, Lujan, Angelica
Format: Report
Language:English
Subjects:
Center for American Progress
Energy
Environment
Government
Health care policy
Online Access:Request full text
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Summary:Under Acting Administrator Andrew Wheeler, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has relentlessly attacked and rolled back public health protections, including those aimed at limiting pollution from coal-fired power plants, decreasing potent methane pollution from oil and gas wells, and reducing harmful emissions from cars. Now, Wheeler has signaled that he intends to take steps to undo the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS), protections that limit the amount of mercury and other toxins power plants are allowed to release into the air. In the simplest terms, these safeguards protect children and families from exposure to mercury, which is a damaging neurotoxin, and other poisonous byproducts of burning coal. As the MATS apply specifically to electricity generation facilities, this issue brief reviews EPA Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) data for mercury emissions from coal- and oil-fired facilities.