In response to release of EPA’s appropriate and necessary finding for stronger Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS), Evergreen Action Power Sector Policy Lead Charles Harper released the following statement:

“Today’s determination by EPA that it is appropriate and necessary to regulate toxic air pollutants from coal- and oil-fired power plants is a vital step to reverse one of the Trump administration’s deadly environmental rollbacks and limit the amount of toxic chemicals like mercury and arsenic in the air we breathe. Public health experts have warned that there is no safe level of these dangerous substances, which can irreversibly harm cognitive development in young children, and we know that this pollution is heavily concentrated in fenceline communities near coal plants. It is squarely within EPA’s authority and mission to require fossil fuel power plants to use more effective modern abatement technologies to limit this deadly pollution. 

“We know that EPA must go further and faster on its full suite of power sector regulations to deliver on President Biden’s environmental justice commitments and keep his clean energy target within reach. Today’s announcement is a step in the right direction. Now, EPA must act quickly to release a risk and technology review so that a stronger MATS standard can move forward and save lives.” 

Last month, Evergreen released Falling Further Behind: A Report Card on EPA’s Progress on 10 Important Power Sector Rules, which found that MATS rule had been repeatedly delayed and called on EPA to release a risk and technology review as quickly as possible.