EPA to reconsider regulation targeting coal-fired power plant decommissioning

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has announced it will reconsider the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) from the Biden-Harris administration. 

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin and the Trump administration are considering a two-year compliance exemption via Section 112 of the Clean Air Act for affected power plants while the 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,” Zeldin says. “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,” 

The current MATS rule, according to the EPA, has caused “significant regulatory uncertainty,” primarily for coal plants in Florida, Illinois, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, Texas, West Virginia and Wyoming.

The agency estimates that costs associated with the rule total over $790 million over the next decade, starting in 2028, with at least $92 million per year for the power sector.