Consortium Statement on EPA’s Power Plant Pollution Standards

April 25, 2024

On April 25, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced four new rules to cut toxic pollutants from fossil fuel-fired power plants. In response to the new limits, the Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health issued the following statement:

The carbon pollution, mercury and air toxins, coal ash, and wastewater regulations announced today are an important step forward in protecting the health of our communities, and the Consortium celebrates these vital rules, which represent the first federal standards for one of the largest sources of pollution in the country: coal and gas power plants.

The suite of final rules will:

• Ensure all coal-fired plants that plan to run in the long term and all new baseload gas-fired plants cut their carbon pollution by 90%
• Strengthen and update the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) for coal-fired power plants, tightening the emissions standards for toxic metals by 67% and setting a 70% reduction in the emissions standards for mercury from existing lignite-fired sources
• Reduce pollutants released through wastewater from coal-fired power plants by more than 660 million pounds per year
• Require the safe management of coal ash in areas that were previously unregulated at the federal level

These regulations help fulfill EPA’s mandate to protect Americans’ health and welfare from the carbon pollution fueling the climate crisis. Taken together, these rules will provide significant cost savings and co-benefits, including avoiding thousands of premature deaths, decreasing the number of hospital and emergency room visits, and reducing the risk of asthma, fatal heart attacks, cancer, and developmental delays in children.

Given that fossil fuel power plants are disproportionately located in low-income communities and communities of color, these standards are also integral to cleaning up pollution that has burdened these populations for too long. Mercury pollution and other harmful power plant pollutants cause health harms like asthma, heart disease, and premature death, while toxic coal ash can pollute waterways and groundwater. Health professionals are aware of the health harms of pollution and have seen the effects firsthand.

Dr. Lisa Del Buono, head of Michigan Clinicians for Climate Action, noted that these rules will go a long way in protecting patients, particularly in Michigan where she sees unequal distributions of pollution-related health harms.

“These new standards are an important step towards protecting the health of disproportionately impacted communities,” said Dr. Del Buono. “Detroiters are hospitalized for asthma at least four times as often as Michigan residents as a whole, with significant racial and economic disparities in those who were hospitalized.”

Dr. Rob Byron of Montana Health Professionals for a Healthy Climate has been active in advocating for a healthy environment in his state. “Air pollution, and the climate change it leads to, has contributed to record-breaking heatwaves and intense fire seasons in Montana, which negatively affects people’s health and strains healthcare systems, especially in rural communities,” he said. “We also see an increased burden on outdoor workers, rural communities, and indigenous communities. Limiting power sector pollution can have immediate health benefits and help lessen future climate change.”

The Consortium applauds the administration’s leadership on this issue, and while we expect to see significant industry pushback in the coming months, we hope that decision-makers and political leaders will protect these rules and continue to advocate for healthy air and water for all communities.