Overview
The Trump administration has unveiled plans to weaken federal air pollution limits that restrict mercury and other hazardous air toxics from coal-fired power plants, announcing the decision at an event held in Kentucky. The administration framed the action as a measure to bolster baseload energy supplies and to reduce regulatory costs for utilities that operate older coal generators at a time when power demand is expanding with new data centers used for artificial intelligence.
What the administration says
Officials from the Environmental Protection Agency under President Donald Trump contend that loosening the standards will provide relief for utilities running aging coal plants, easing the financial burden of compliance while supporting increased electricity needs tied to the growth of AI data centers. In a statement issued on Wednesday, the EPA also said that the 2012 Mercury and Air Toxics Standards, established as the MATS rule, already provide "an ample margin of safety to protect public health," and argued that additions proposed in 2024 would impose costs that outweigh their benefits.
Public health and environmental response
Public health advocates and environmental groups have raised concerns that the rollback will raise exposure to mercury - a neurotoxin that can harm developing brains - and other hazardous air pollutants. Those groups warn that relaxing limits on mercury and related air toxics could increase health-related costs, especially for the most vulnerable populations.
The Biden-era version of the Mercury and Air Toxics Standard, which updated the 2012 Obama-era regulation, remained in force after the Supreme Court declined to put the rule on hold in response to a legal challenge led by a coalition of mostly Republican states and industry groups seeking to suspend it.
According to the Environmental Defense Fund, that rule would have reduced allowable mercury emissions from coal plants by 70%, cut emissions of nickel, arsenic, lead and other toxic metals from coal-fired facilities by two-thirds, and produced health-cost savings of $420 million through 2037.
Policy context and recent actions
The administration has taken a sequence of steps intended to keep older coal plants online. Last year, President Trump declared an "energy emergency" to justify measures aimed at preventing closures of aging coal-fired generators and to exempt some of those facilities from key air regulations. As part of that initiative, the White House issued a proclamation inviting coal plants to request temporary exemptions from MATS regulations by email for a two-year period. Sixty-eight plants were granted such exemptions.
Additionally, officials announced last week that the EPA was repealing the so-called "endangerment finding," which had been the legal basis for the agency's authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions, and the White House directed the Pentagon to purchase power from coal plants for military use.
Emissions profile and electricity contribution
Coal-fired power stations are prominent sources of hazardous air pollution, emitting mercury, lead, arsenic and acid gases, as well as benzene, formaldehyde, dioxins and other organic hazardous air pollutants. Despite their pollutant intensity, coal plants supply less than 20% of U.S. electricity, according to the Energy Information Administration.
Implications
The policy shift is framed by the administration as a short-term measure to support baseload generation and reduce compliance costs for utilities operating older coal-fired plants amid rising electricity demand from AI-related data center expansion. Public health groups counter that the rollback risks higher exposures to dangerous pollutants and increased health expenses, particularly among vulnerable segments of the population.
Reporting limitations: The article reflects the information provided by the EPA, environmental groups and public statements from the administration. Where details are limited in those statements, this report reflects those limitations rather than introducing additional claims or analysis.