Trump Administration Proposes Rollbacks to Climate and Air Pollution Rules

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) unveiled a plan to repeal a landmark climate rule that aims to mostly eliminate greenhouse gases from power plants by the 2030s and weaken another regulation that restricts power plants' release of hazardous air pollutants. The proposal, announced by EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, would allow power plants to pollute more and emit unlimited amounts of planet-heating gases, despite the devastating effects of climate change and air pollution. The move comes after a string of record-breaking climate disasters and follows the second-hottest May on record globally.

Key Takeaways:

• The proposed rollbacks would repeal a climate rule aimed at mostly eliminating greenhouse gases from power plants by the 2030s and weaken the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards regulation, which restricts power plants' release of hazardous air pollutants.
• The move would allow power plants to pollute more and emit unlimited amounts of planet-heating gases, which would have devastating effects on climate change and air pollution.
• The proposal has been widely condemned by health experts, who warn that the move would lead to the biggest pollution increases in decades and cause catastrophic health effects.
• Coal-fired power plants cause nearly half of all mercury emissions in the US, which can seep into water, soils, and the air and has been linked to neurological damage in young children and heart, lung, and immune system ailments in adults.
• The proposal also targets a rule crafted last year by the Biden administration to phase out emissions from electricity-producing fossil fuel plants, which are responsible for around a quarter of US greenhouse gases.
• The rollbacks are likely to face legal challenges and have been condemned by environmental groups, including the Sierra Club, which has accused the Trump administration of trading American lives for campaign dollars and the support of fossil fuel companies.
• The EPA has embarking upon a wide-ranging blitz on environmental regulations since Trump became president, removing or loosening clean air and water rules that, collectively, were on track to save 200,000 American lives in the decades ahead.

Statistics:

• The climate rule being repealed would have delivered $370 billion in net benefits.
• The US power plants produce a small but significant fraction of the world's emissions, with around a quarter of US greenhouse gases coming from these plants.
• If these power plants were a country, it would be the sixth-largest emitter on the planet.
• Coal-fired power plants cause nearly half of all mercury emissions in the US.
• The rollbacks are part of a larger effort by the Trump administration to boost fossil fuel production at all costs, with oil and gas donations from the industry playing a significant role in Trump's election campaign.

Sources:

• US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
• The Guardian
• OpenSecrets database
• Sierra Club
• Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) documents
• Barack Obama's administration documents
• Climate change research and data from reputable sources