The progress we have secured is a testament to the fact that the law and science are on our side. It also reflects the desire of most people across the country for a safer and cleaner world. Our shared wins represent decades of painstaking work, culminating in concrete measures that will save lives across the country. We’re celebrating our victories and the many opportunities ahead.
Sixty-eight coal plants can now release more mercury, arsenic, and other heavy metals known to damage children’s brain development, trigger asthma attacks, and cause cancer.
For over a hundred years, the Antiquities Act of 1906 has protected America’s natural and historic wonders from mining, drilling, looting, and industrial development.
Community and environmental groups represented by Earthjustice sued the Trump administration over its unlawful decision to exempt dozens of coal-fired power plants from stronger pollution limits set in the 2024 Mercury and Air Toxics Standards, or MATS. The exemptions, issued in April, allow 68 coal power plants to release more mercury, arsenic, and other heavy metals known to damage children’s brain development, trigger asthma attacks, and cause cancer.
When companies burn coal in the U.S., significant amounts of mercury spew into our air. Now, that mercury is controlled, thanks to a federal rule that Earthjustice and our clients fought for, defended, and successfully expanded.
Leasing more of our public lands to coal companies and padding their bottom lines will do nothing to promote energy security or reduce costs for everyday Americans.
