Trump Administration Reduces Restrictions On Mercury Emissions

The Trump administration on Thursday undermined regulations from the Environmental Protection Agency regarding the release of mercury and other toxic metals.

While the finalized rule does not roll back the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS), it prevents the EPA from factoring in certain “co-benefits” of reducing mercury pollution.

EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler said that the new rule was better because it did not consider the co-benefits from reducing other pollutants, rather only “targeted” ones like mercury.

“Under the Obama-era approach, the cost-benefit scales are set so any regulation could be justified regardless of costs,” he told reporters during a call.

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Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) said the rollback is “harming child development and making the air dirtier.”

“I opposed Andrew Wheeler as EPA Administrator because he cared more about the fossil fuel industry than public health,” she tweeted Thursday. “Today the EPA issued an outrageous rule to weaken limits on mercury emissions from power plants, harming child development and making the air dirtier.”