EPA restores rule to limit power-plant mercury emissions

By MATTHEW DALY
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — In a reversal of a Trump-era action, the Environmental Protection Agency said Monday it will resume enforcement of a rule that limits power plant emissions of mercury and other hazardous pollutants. The EPA action restores a rule imposed under President Barack Obama and continues a practice in which the Biden administration reinstates environmental protections loosened under President Donald Trump. The rule requires significant reductions in emissions of mercury, acid gases and other harmful pollutants, primarily by coal-fired power plants. EPA said its actions would improve public health, including reducing the risk of heart attacks and cancer and avoiding neurodevelopmental delays in children.