Tell the EPA to Uphold Air Quality Protections and not allow proposed rollbacks in air quality protections by repealing amendments to the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS)
#AirPollution #Montana #Colstrip #MTPol
The EPA sets MATS regulations to reduce air pollution by coal and oil-fired electric utility steam-generating units, such as those at Colstrip.
These facilities release mercury and other hazardous air pollutants that cause serious health issues, such as particular cancer, heart disease, and asthma.
The MATS were last updated in 2024, and in its April 25, 2024 Fact Sheet, the EPA detailed that industry-reported emissions data, required by MATS, shows 2021 mercury emissions from coal-fired electric utility steam generating units were 90 percent lower than pre-MATS levels.
Trump administration wants to rollback standards so that plants like Colstrip, one of the worst sources of toxic emissions in the country, can avoid upgrades to bring the facility into compliance. And Northwestern Energy, which is poised to acquire 55% ownership of Colstrip, supports these rollbacks.
Tell the EPA to uphold its 2024 MATS standards and urge the agency not to kowtow to the Trump administration and polluting energy producers like Northwestern Energy. https://www.regulations.gov/commenton/EPA-HQ-OAR-2018-0794-6978
