EPA Says ‘Not Necessary’ for Coal Plants to Comply With Mercury Limits

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The Trump Administration has determined that it is unnecessary and too costly to regulate hazardous air pollutants (HAP) emanating from US coal and oil-fired power plants as outlined in current mercury standards, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said in a press release on Friday.

"This action proposes… to make a revised determination that it is not appropriate and necessary to regulate HAP emissions from coal- and oil-fired power plants," the release said. "A proper consideration of costs under section 112(n) of the Clean Air Act demonstrates that the total projected costs of compliance with the MATS [Mercury and Air toxic Standards] rule ($7.4 to $9.6 billion annually) dwarfs the monetized HAP benefits of the rule ($4 to $6 million annually)."

The EPA’s action, the release added, only proposes to correct flaws in MATS supplemental findings and is not proposing to "de-list" such power plants from the list of sources that are regulated under the Clean Air Act.

READ MORE: ‘Rotten' Math: EPA Wants to Let Power Plants Pump Mercury Into Air Again

The agency said it will eventually hold a hearing on the matter after taking comments on the proposal for two months from the date published in the federal register.