Trump exempted 70 coal plants from limits for mercury and arsenic pollution
Exemptions
President Trump's EPA announced exemptions from pollution regulations for 70 coal plants, AP News said. The rollback includes rules on mercury and arsenic levels.
Biden-era limitations
According to the news agency, the requirements to reduce emissions of toxic chemicals were part of a Biden-era revision of the Clean Air Act, which limited toxic pollutant levels.
47 private providers
The exemption will affect 47 private providers. The list includes 66 plants operated by these providers and owned by a handful of energy companies, some of the largest in the country.
One public utility
The exemption will also affect four plants operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority. According to the AP, the provider is the nation's largest public utility. The EPA published the list on its website.
From Montana to Texas
The plants are widespread across the country, from Montana to Texas, and will now have fewer restrictions on emissions from mercury, arsenic, or benzene.
Dangerous pollutants
The news agency said that exposure to these pollutants is dangerous. Mercury exposure can cause brain damage, especially in children, and birth defects when a mother is exposed.
A plan for exemptions
The plants are part of a larger plan to grant the coal industry exemptions from EPA environmental regulations, as President Trump expects to rely more on it for energy.
Email account
The news agency said the EPA set up an email account for plants to request exemptions from Clean Air Act regulations. Environmental groups call it "the polluters' portal," it said.
Coal boost
The exemptions came only a few days after President Trump signed a handful of executive orders to boost coal mining and its use as a source of energy, saving several plants from closing.
"The best"
As he unveiled the orders, President Trump said the industry "was abandoned" even though it was "the best, certainly the best in terms of power, real power. "
A dying industry
However, experts told The New York Times that the industry's decline might be too great to reverse. Many plants are old and expensive to run, and there are more efficient power sources.
