The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has granted two-year exemptions to more than a third of the United States’ coal-fired power plants from the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) rule, according to a list of affected plants released on Monday.
This move is part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to support coal-fired energy production, which includes potential revisions to the MATS rule. The exemptions affect about 71.3 gigawatts (GW) of coal-fired power capacity, representing approximately 37% of the U.S. coal fleet, which totaled 193 GW as of early 2024.
Among the largest recipients of these exemptions are Southern Co. with about 11,285 MW, NRG with 7,100 MW, the Tennessee Valley Authority with 6,660 MW, and Basin Electric Power Cooperative with 3,960 MW. Other notable exemptions include plants operated by Keystone-Conemaugh in Pennsylvania (3,823 MW), Ameren Missouri (3,490 MW), and Associated Electric Cooperative in Missouri (2,482 MW).
On April 8, former President Donald Trump signed an executive order instructing the EPA to allow certain coal plants to comply with a less stringent version of the MATS rule for two years starting July 8, 2027. The updated MATS rule, introduced under the Biden administration, imposes stricter requirements for controlling emissions, including mercury and particulate matter.
Trump argued that the necessary pollution control technologies to meet the new MATS rule are not commercially available, and warned that closing coal plants could pose a national security risk.
The EPA’s updated MATS rule, implemented a year ago, aims to reduce harmful emissions from power plants and further limit the release of pollutants such as mercury, arsenic, nickel, and fine particulate matter. The agency believes the rule will not result in any coal plant closures because operators can meet emissions limits with available technology and improved practices.
The EPA projects the updated MATS rule will deliver $300 million in health benefits and $130 million in climate benefits, while costing $860 million over the next 10 years, beginning in 2028.
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