Illinois Attorney General Leads Coalition in Opposing EPA Proposal to Repeal Mercury and Air Toxics Standards

The Illinois Attorney General's office has announced that Attorney General Kwame Raoul co-led a coalition of 17 state attorneys general, the city of Chicago, and the California Air Resources Board in filing comments opposing the US Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) proposal to repeal the 2024 Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) Rule. The coalition argues that the proposed repeal would harm the environment and public health by reverting to outdated standards that were in place in 2012. The MATS Rule implements nationwide standards that limit emissions of toxic air pollutants from coal- and oil-fired power plants, and the coalition claims that the repeal would disproportionately harm people who live near coal- and oil-fired power plants.

Key Takeaways:

• The coalition of 18 state attorneys general, the city of Chicago, and the California Air Resources Board are opposing the EPA's proposal to repeal the 2024 Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) Rule.
• The proposed repeal would revert to outdated standards that were in place in 2012, harming the environment and public health by increasing emissions of toxic air pollutants.
• Mercury and other hazardous air pollutants disproportionately harm people who live near coal- and oil-fired power plants, posing serious dangers to public health, especially for pregnant women and children.
• Exposure to mercury can cause lifelong developmental harms and neurological disorders such as seizures, vision and hearing loss, or delayed development, as well as increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and autoimmune dysfunction in adults.
• Mercury emissions from power plants are also a major contributor to mercury contamination in US waterways, including parts of Lake Michigan in Illinois.
• The proposed repeal is unlawful because the EPA has failed to provide a reasoned basis for its proposed repeal and failed to adequately consider developments in practices, processes, and control technologies.
• Repealing the current standards would violate the Administrative Procedure Act, according to the attorneys general.

Statistics:

• 17 state attorneys general, the city of Chicago, and the California Air Resources Board are part of the coalition opposing the EPA's proposal to repeal the 2024 MATS Rule.
• 2024 is the year the EPA updated standards for emissions of hazardous air pollutants from power plants.
• 2012 is the year the outdated standards that the EPA proposes to revert to were established.

Sources:

• Office of Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
• California Air Resources Board
• City of Chicago