WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥 The Trump administration has granted nearly 70 coal-fired power plants a two-year exemption from federal requirements to reduce emissions of toxic chemicals such as mercury, arsenic and benzene.
A list quietly lists 47 power providers 鈥 which operate at least 66 coal-fired plants 鈥 that are receiving exemptions from the Biden-era rules under the Clean Air Act, including a regulation limiting air pollution from mercury and other toxins. The actions follow by President Donald Trump aimed at boosting the struggling coal industry, a reliable but polluting energy source that鈥檚 long been in decline.
Among plants receiving exemptions is the a massive power plant in Colstrip, Montana, that emits more toxic air pollutants such as lead and arsenic than any other U.S. facility of its kind, according to the EPA. Other plants with exemptions include Coal Creek Station, a large power plant in North Dakota that is among the nation鈥檚 top producers of mercury emissions, and the Oak Grove plant in Texas, another large polluter.
The exempted plants are owned by some of the nation鈥檚 largest power companies, including Talen Energy, Dominion Energy, NRG Energy and Southern Co.
The exemptions also apply to four plants operated by the the nation's largest public utility.
The EPA said in a statement Tuesday that the presidential exemptions 鈥渨ill bolster coal-fired electricity generation, ensuring that our nation鈥檚 grid is reliable, that electricity is affordable for the American people, and that EPA is helping to promote our nation鈥檚 energy security."
Michelle Bloodworth, president of a lobbying group for coal-fired plants, said Trump recognizes that the nation鈥檚 coal fleet is 鈥渆ssential to maintaining a healthy and secure electricity supply 鈥 the backbone of our economy."
Rules imposed under former President Joe Biden 鈥渨ere inconsistent with the Clean Air Act and based on an improper analysis of data,鈥 she said.
The mercury rule, , could have contributed to the premature retirement of dozens of coal units, Bloodworth said, adding that the plants are needed to support reliability of the electric grid.
Environmentalists called the exemptions 鈥 which require a presidential finding that technology required to meet the new rules is not widely available and that continued activity of the plants advances national security 鈥 a dereliction of duty by Trump and EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin.
鈥淭hese passes to pollute carve a ragged hole through the heart of federal protections for the air we breathe,鈥 said Maya Golden-Krasner, a senior attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity, an environmental group. 鈥淭o suggest that it鈥檚 a matter of national security to force people from Montana to Alabama to inhale more neurotoxins is offensive. This is what it looks like to put polluter profits ahead of the wellbeing of Americans and the planet.鈥
Environmental groups and public health advocates have denounced the administration鈥檚 plan to grant exemptions, which they say could allow hundreds of companies to evade laws meant to protect the environment and public health.
Critics call the new email address set up by the EPA to request the exemptions a 鈥減olluters鈥 portal.鈥
Exemptions can be given for nine EPA rules, including limits on mercury, ethylene oxide and other hazardous air pollutants. Mercury exposure can cause brain damage, especially in children, and birth defects can occur after exposure in a mother鈥檚 womb.
Last week, in a series of executive orders, Trump used his emergency authority to allow some older coal-fired power plants set for retirement to keep producing electricity to meet amid growth in data centers, artificial intelligence and electric cars. Trump also directed federal agencies to identify coal resources on federal lands, lift barriers to coal mining and prioritize coal leasing on U.S. lands.
Trump, a Republican, has long promised to boost to fire power plants and for other uses.
