CAC: Trump Administration’s Plan to Roll Back Protections Against Mercury and Carbon Pollution Puts Polluters First
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 5, 2025
CONTACT: Gabrielle Levy, Glevy@cacampaign.org, 562-673-6974
CAC: Trump Administration’s Plan to Roll Back Protections Against Mercury and Carbon Pollution Puts Polluters First
WASHINGTON–The EPA signaled its intention to ignore science, public opinion and its own mission by advancing proposals to repeal protections against carbon pollution and mercury. Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) have helped drive a 90% reduction in mercury pollution compared to before the standards were implemented and carbon pollution standards for power plants are projected to help reduce climate pollution by 75%. Rose Garr, senior director of government affairs at the Climate Action Campaign (CAC), released the following statement in response:
“With proposals to repeal two consequential rules already underway, it’s clear EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin is accelerating his mad dash to deliver an agenda that puts polluters first. Mercury and Air Toxics Standards are making substantial headway in removing some of the most insidious pollutants out of the environment while carbon pollution standards are a centerpiece of the federal effort to tackle the causes of the climate crisis.
"The price tag of this brazen giveaway to polluters is devastatingly high. Our communities and our health will pick up the tab to the tune of more cancer and lung disease, and more babies born with birth defects and brain damage. The costs of extreme weather damage – like wildfire razing whole neighborhoods in Los Angeles or hurricanes washing away entire towns in Appalachia – will climb even higher.
"Repealing these protections requires blatant disregard for the urgent and very real suffering of the millions of Americans who have already had their lives destroyed by dangerous air pollution and climate change-fueled extreme weather, and the tens of millions more who will join them in the coming years."
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About the Climate Action Campaign
Climate Action Campaign (CAC) is a vibrant coalition driving ambitious, durable, equitable federal action to tackle the climate crisis. By cutting carbon pollution and accelerating the transition to clean energy, we will improve public health and create a more resilient economy and a more sustainable future for all.
