Trump EPA to Reconsider Biden-Harris MATS Regulation That Targeted Coal-Fired Power Plants to be Shut Down
WASHINGTON – U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin announced the agency will reconsider the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) from the Biden-Harris Administration that drew a lawsuit from 23 states. The Trump Administration is considering a 2-year compliance exemption via Section 112(i)(4) of the Clean Air Act for affected power plants while EPA goes through the rulemaking process.
“EPA needs to pursue commonsense regulation to Power the Great American Comeback, not continue down the last administration’s path of destruction and destitution. At EPA, we are committed to protecting human health and the environment; we are opposed to shutting down clean, affordable and reliable energy for American families,” said EPA Administrator Zeldin.
The current MATS rule has caused significant regulatory uncertainty, especially for coal plants in Florida, Illinois, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, Texas, West Virginia, and Wyoming. Cost estimates for this rule total over $790 million over the next decade starting in 2028, with at least $92 million per year for the power sector. These costs are large, especially given the success the industry has already achieved in reducing emissions of mercury and other hazardous air pollutants.
This was announced in conjunction with a number of historic actions to advance President Trump’s Day One executive orders and Power the Great American Comeback. Combined, these announcements represent the greatest and most consequential day of deregulation in the history of the United States. While accomplishing EPA’s core mission of protecting the environment, the agency is committed to fulfilling President Trump’s promise to unleash American energy, lower costs for Americans, revitalize the American auto industry, restore the rule of law, and give power back to states to make their own decisions.
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