A weakening of regulations addressing the emission of mercury, arsenic, and other toxic air pollutants from coal- and oil-fired power plants.
Particularly harmful to pregnant women and children, such heavy metal neurotoxins accumulate in the body if exposed, eventually leading to severe physical ailments, neurological damage, and an increased likelihood of developing an intellectual disability.
The Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) were created to address such health concerns, requiring power plants to adopt specific pollution controls to curb the release of harmful toxins. Initial cost-benefit analysis projected the rules implementation would save society between $37B and $90B annually by preventing thousands of premature deaths, lost workdays, and undue health care expenses – all for as little as $3B in expenses to the industry.
Yet, against all rational economic sense – to say nothing of the moral sense of favoring petty industry profits over protecting the public) – Trump’s 2nd EPA and former coal lobbyist, Andrew Wheeler, added language to “limit the considerations of health benefits” in the cost-benefit analysis when implementing MATS rules.
Status
Apr. 16th, 2020 RULE UNDERMINED
Rule changed to “limit considerations of health benefits” in MATS cost-benefit analysis.
Mercury and Air Toxics Standards | Harvard Environmental & Energy Law Program
Notables
- Even the largest energy utilities in the country are opposed to repealing or weakening the mercury emission limits, describing the action as:
“Entirely unnecessary, unreasonable, and universally opposed by the power generation sector… the sector has gotten much cleaner as a result of this rule.”
EPA about to change rule cutting mercury pollution. The industry doesn’t want it. | Washington Post (2.17.20)
- According to EPA estimates, the new rule was expected to “avert up to 11,000 premature deaths, 4,700 heart attacks and 130,000 asthma attacks every year.”
Mercury and Air Toxics Standards: Healthier Americans | EPA (12.7.16)
