The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently reaffirmed the scientific, economic and legal underpinnings of policy that dictates limits on toxic air pollution from power plants.
The 2012 Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) require significant reductions of mercury, acid gases and other pollutants, according to a Feb. 17 news release. This final rule responds to President Joe Biden's executive order on protecting public health and the environment and restoring science to tackle the climate crisis, which reverses a 2020 rule weakening the MATS legal foundation.
“For years, Mercury and Air Toxics Standards have protected the health of American communities nationwide, especially children, low-income communities and communities of color who often and unjustly live near power plants,” EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan said in the release. “This finding ensures the continuation of these critical, life-saving protections while advancing President Biden’s commitment to making science-based decisions and protecting the health and wellbeing of all people and all communities.”
By controlling emissions, the public health benefits include reducing fatal heart attacks, reducing cancer risks, avoiding neurodevelopmental delays in children and protecting the environment, the release reported. The protections are especially important for those affected by hazardous air pollution. The MATS have helped mitigate this danger by monitoring emissions from coal- and oil-fired power plants for toxic substances such as mercury, arsenic, lead, hydrochloric acid and other hazardous air pollutants.
The rule reaffirms the science behind clean air standards, which advances the Biden-Harris administration’s commitment to environmental justice, according to the release. The EPA finds it appropriate and necessary to regulate emissions of air toxics from power plants under the Clean Air Act.
The MATS have led to massive reductions in harmful pollutants, with costs much lower than originally estimated, the release reported. When compared to pre-MATS levels back in 2010, mercury emissions from power plants had been reduced by an incredible 86%, acid gas emissions dropped 96% and non-mercury metal emissions decreased 81%.
Before MATS, coal and oil-fired power plants were the largest domestic source of toxic mercury and other pollutants such as hydrogen chloride and selenium, according to the release. After another round of assessments, researchers concluded that the total cost for the power sector to comply with MATS was likely billions of dollars lower than initially anticipated.
