Proposed Rollback of Mercury, Toxic Emissions Standards Puts Public Health, Wildlife at Risk

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The proposed plan to roll back Mercury and Air Toxics Standards for power plants is a dangerous step backward for public health, wildlife, communities, and the climate. Weakening these proven standards would increase emissions of pollutants such as mercury, arsenic, soot, and other hazardous air pollutants.

"Decades of evidence show the devastating impacts of mercury and toxic emissions on human health, especially for vulnerable children, pregnant women, seniors, and communities overburdened by the impacts of pollution," said Dr. Adrienne Hollis, vice president for environmental justice, public health, and community resilience and revitalization at the National Wildlife Federation. "Rolling back these standards exposes people and wildlife to toxins that we know damage developing brains, impact reproductive health, contaminate ecosystems and food chains, and contribute to the worsening climate crisis. We urge the EPA to not only keep emissions standards in place, but to strengthen them to keep Americans healthy."

The Mercury and Air Toxic Standards are one of the most important clean air protections we have to protect public health. Previous standards have resulted in many power plants installing necessary pollution controls that reduced mercury emissions by nearly 90 percent by 2011 - resulting in less toxic mercury in our fish and wildlife, and our food chain.

In addition to weakening pollution limits, these rollbacks threaten the public's right to know what is in the air we're breathing. The Toxic Release Inventory and related reporting requirements are essential tools for tracking industrial emissions that may harm public health and the erosion of these reporting requirements limits the ability of communities, regulators, and scientists to monitor and respond to dangerous emissions.