Letter comes one week before the close of the EPA’s public comment period on its plan to strengthen MATS
WASHINGTON, DC – In a letter sent on Friday to President Biden and to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael Regan, more than 100 public health and environmental advocacy organizations urged the EPA to finalize the strongest Mercury and Air Toxics (MATS) standards by early 2024. This letter was sent one week before the EPA’s public comment period closes on its proposal to strengthen standards on mercury pollution.
In the letter, the groups thanked the Biden administration for moving forward with a proposal to strengthen these lifesaving standards to slash dangerous mercury pollution from power plants and called on the president and Administrator Regan to finalize the strongest possible version of these protections. They also highlighted the benefits of cleaning up mercury pollution.
“Cleaning up mercury and other air toxics is projected to lead to $170 to $220 million in annualized health benefits and a further $170 million in annualized climate co-benefits,” the groups wrote. “The agency’s own modeling shows that setting this standard at this level would increase overall benefits to over $1 billion dollars annually, and still remain nearly three times greater than compliance costs.”
The groups continued, “We need Solutions for Pollution to deliver clean air, clean water, and a healthy climate for all. By finalizing the strongest possible Mercury and Air Toxics Standards, your administration can clean up toxic power plant pollution that harms vulnerable populations and those living closest to polluting power plants”
The letter concluded by urging the administration to finalize the strongest version of these standards by no later than April 2024.
The full letter text is available here and below:
Docket ID No. EPA–HQ– OAR–2018–0794
June 15, 2023
President Joseph R. Biden, Jr.
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave, NW
Washington, DC 20500
The Honorable Michael S. Regan
Administrator
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20460
Dear President Biden and Administrator Regan:
Since the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) first implemented the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) significant progress has been made toward cleaning up dangerous air pollution. Our groups applaud the EPA’s actions to reinstate the “appropriate and necessary” finding earlier this year. Yet, despite this progress, hazardous and persistent pollutants continue to harm people across the United States. We strongly support your work to update this vital safeguard and urge you to strengthen your proposal to even further cut deadly mercury and other toxic pollution that threatens our health, jeopardizes our air and water, and poses significant harm to vulnerable populations and children.
Air pollution from coal- and oil-fired power plants contains more than 80 hazardous air pollutants identified by the Clean Air Act for control including corrosive substances, carcinogens like formaldehyde and benzene, acid gases, organic carbon-based toxics, metals, and neurotoxins. These pollutants can cause cancer; damage the eyes, skin, and breathing passages; harm the kidneys, lungs, and nervous system; cause cardiovascular disease; and lead to premature death. They also harm people not only living near power plants, but also hundreds of miles away.
Unfortunately, the EPA’s own 2021 data shows that toxic pollution like mercury is a persistent problem. That’s why it’s critical the EPA ratchet down this pollution without delay. EPA’s proposal would strengthen limits on particulate matter pollution from power plants (as a surrogate pollutant for toxic pollutants), require continuous emissions monitors for particulate matter, and tighten mercury limits for power plants that burn lignite coal. As proposed, by 2035 the new standard would cut pollution and protect people from:
82 pounds of mercury;
800 tons of fine particulate matter (PM2.5);
8,800 tons of sulfur dioxide (SO2);
8,700 tons of nitrogen oxides (NOx); and
5 million tons of carbon pollution (CO2)
Cleaning up mercury and other air toxics is projected to lead to $170 to $220 million in annualized health benefits and a further $170 million in annualized climate co-benefits. Many plants already meet these proposed standards, and the EPA should strengthen the standard for non-mercury metals to no more than 0.006 lb/MMBtu. The agency’s own modeling shows that setting this standard at this level would increase overall benefits to over $1 billion dollars annually, and still remain nearly three times greater than compliance costs. Additionally, we call on the EPA to apply these new standards to facilities that burn waste coal, one of the dirtiest forms of energy that exists.
We need Solutions for Pollution to deliver clean air, clean water, and a healthy climate for all. By finalizing the strongest possible Mercury and Air Toxics Standards, your administration can clean up toxic power plant pollution that harms vulnerable populations and those living closest to polluting power plants. We urge you to strengthen and finalize the proposed MATS no later than April 2024.
Thank you for your attention to this pressing matter.
Sincerely,
Action for the Climate Emergency
Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments
American Sustainable Business Network
Arizona Climate Action Coalition
Arizona Interfaith Power & Light
Arizona Wildlife Federation
Arizonans for Community Choice
Asociacion de residentes Inc
Atlantic Climate Justice Alliance
Black Millennials 4 Flint
Center for American Progress
Central California Asthma Collaborative
Change the Chamber
Clark County Black Caucus
Clean Energy Action
Climate Action Campaign
Climate Hawks Vote
Climate Reality Greater Maryland
Climate Reality MOCO
Climate Reality Project Central Indiana Chapter
Coalition for Clean Affordable Energy
Community for Sustainable Energy
Conservation Voters of PA
Dayenu: A Jewish Call to Climate Action
Defend Our Future
Earthjustice
Elders Climate Action
Elders Climate Action Heartland Chapter
Elders Climate Action, Arizona Chapter
Elders Climate Action, Colorado Chapter
Elders Climate Action, SoCal Chapter
Elders Climate Action, Virginia Chapter
Elected Officials to Protect America
Endangered Species Coalition
Environment America
Environmental Defense Fund
Environmental Law & Policy Center
Evangelical Environmental Network
Evergreen Action
Faith Alliance for Climate Solutions
Faith in Place
Faith Organizing Alliance
First Focus on Children
FreshWater Accountability Project
Georgia Interfaith Power and Light
Great Lakes Business Network
Green The Church
GreenLatinos
Groundwork Center for Resilient Communities
Healthy Climate Wisconsin
Hispanic Access Foundation
House of Worship
Illinois Association of School Nurses
Information Network for Responsible Mining
Institute For A Progressive Nevada
Interfaith Power & Light
Kids Climate Action Network
Las Vegas Indian Center
League of Conservation Voters
League of Women Voters
Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health
MI Air MI Health
Michigan Climate Action Network
Michigan Clinicians for Climate Action
Michigan League of Conservation Voters
Michigan Sustainable Business Forum
Moms Clean Air Force
Moms Clean Air Force - Arizona
Moms Clean Air Force - Georgia
Moms Clean Air Force - Michigan
Montana Environmental Information Center
Mothers & Others For Clean Air
National Medical Association
National Wildlife Federation
Nevada Legislature, Asm. Howard Watts
Nevada Wildlife Federation
New Mexico Coalition for Clean Affordable Energy
New Mexico Interfaith Power and Light
North American Climate, Conservation and Environment (NACCE)
Northeast Ohio Black Health Coalition
Natural Resources Defense Council
Path to Progress
PennEnvironment
PennFuture
Pennsylvania Interfaith Power & Light
Physicians for Social Responsibility
Physicians for Social Responsibility Arizona
Poder Latinx
Respiratory Health Association
Rivulet Clinical Services
Rocky Mountain NAACP CO-MT-WY State Conference
Sierra Club
Sustainable Mill Valley
Sustainable Tucson
Texas Physicians for Social Responsibility
Tucson Audubon Society
U.S. PIRG
Union of Concerned Scientists
Union for Reform Judaism
US Partnership for Education for Sustainable Development
Western Clean Energy Campaign
Wisconsin Conservation Voters
Young Evangelicals for Climate Action
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