The Environmental Protection Agency announced Wednesday two major proposals that would weaken pollution standards for fossil-fuel power plants as part of the Trump administration's effort to revive coal — actions that critics say will negatively impact public health. Theproposalsinclude the repeal of all greenhouse gas standards and a separate one to roll back Biden-era limits on mercury and soot from the country's dirtiest coal plants. Greenhouse gases contribute to climate change, while mercury toxins can cause brain impairment. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, joined at the press conference by several Republican lawmakers and Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren, justified the moves by citing the country's ambition for energy dominance and the rising power demand from artificial intelligence data centers. "Data centers that support AI alone will eat up 10% of U.S. energy supply within 10 years," Zeldin said. "Right now, it's about 3 to 4% of total U.S. electricity demand." He also said that the administration is removing these Obama- and Biden-era rules to relieve fossil-fuel power plants from regulatory burdens, directly attacking the central piece of the Biden administration's climate policy, including stricter pollution limits on mercury and particulate matter pollution. A public comment period will follow the proposed repeals, after which the EPA will revise and finalize the rule. However, legal challenges could complicate that process. Critics of the Trump administration's energy policy say they're concerned because it doesn't factor in the health impacts on local communities, which are often low-income families who live closer to the power plants. This move also comes at a time when decades-long progress to clean up air is facing a threat from frequent, raging wildfires blanketing cities and towns in smoke. "Rolling back this lifesaving update would be a grave mistake that would expose people to toxic pollution proven to harm brain development, trigger asthma attacks, and cause cancer and premature death," American Lung Association President and CEO Harold Wimmer said in astatement. EPAdatashows that power plants are the second-largest source of greenhouse gas emissions, after vehicle exhaust. Power plants released nearly 1.5 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide in 2023, according to the EPA'sGreenhouse Gas Reporting Program. The agency did not release a complete count of all emissions for 2023. But2022 datashow the electric power sector made up a quarter of all U.S. emissions that year. "Any government that was acting in good faith to meet the challenge of climate change would look to reductions from power plants as a first step," Joseph Goffman, a former assistant administrator at the EPA office overseeing air pollution rules, told USA TODAY over email. "But this administration is not a good faith actor and is certainly not acting to protect Americans," Goffman said. USA TODAY previously reportedthat President Donald Trump granted exemptions to over 60 power plants that delayed when they would have to meet the more stringent Mercury and Air Toxics Standards by two years. Under the proposals made on June 11, the plants would never have to comply with the Biden-updated pollution limits. Zeldin pointed out that the limits on mercury pollution in effect since 2012 would remain. Emissions from power plants have beendecliningover the past decade, thanks in part to EPA regulations. But experts say the administration's move could put that progress at risk. During Trump's inauguration, the president declared anational energy emergencyand later in April signed anexecutive orderto boost the coal industry amid increased demand for electricity for artificial intelligence data centers. The revival efforts are happening as fossil fuels, particularly coal, are being phased out due to the decreasing costs of renewables and their ability to reduce harmful emissions. Search the coal plant closest to you below. The circle size represents the amount of carbon emissions. A recentreportfrom the International Energy Agency projected that "electricity demand from data centers worldwide is set to more than double by 2030." Artificial intelligence will be the most significant driver, the report said. In May, the Department of Energy ordered two fossil-fuel plants to continue operating through the summer despite their earlier plans to shut down last month. J.H. Campbell, a coal-fired plant in Michigan, was expected to retire in May. Eddystone Generating Station in Pennsylvania was planning to shut down its gas units in May. The Department of Energy'sordersrequire the operators to keep them running for 90 days to "minimizing the risk of generation shortfall." Earlier this year, the U.S. Energy Information Administration said in areportthat the country's electricity prices in 2024 were already cheaper and less volatile than before. The proposed repeal of greenhouse gas limits and updated Mercury and Air Toxics Standard would save power generators $1.2 billion and $120 million per year, respectively, in regulatory costs, according to the EPA. "American families will pay the cost of these rollbacks in higher health care bills from emergency room visits, missed workdays and missed school days," said Michelle Roos, executive director of Environmental Protection Network, a group of former EPA staff. "The only people who benefit from these rollbacks are the biggest emitters of toxic pollution who don't want to install cleaner technologies," Roos said. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Trump administration proposes to slash power plant pollution limits
