Reference News Network, February 22 report: According to the website of the UK's Financial Times, on February 20, the Trump administration relaxed the emission limits for mercury pollution from coal-fired power plants, which is the latest move in its efforts to repeal U.S. climate regulations and promote fossil fuels.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Friday (20th) repealed the strict limits on the total amount of toxic substances emitted into the atmosphere by coal and oil-fired power plants under the previous administration of President Biden.
The Trump administration argued that these regulations imposed unnecessary burdens on fossil fuel power companies and claimed that the relaxation would cut costs for related companies by hundreds of millions of dollars.
Lee Zeldin, Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, said: "The anti-coal regulations introduced by the Biden-Harris administration attempt to strangle this crucial industry in our energy economy. If allowed to take effect, these measures would destroy America's reliable energy supply system."
The move on Friday triggered strong protests from environmental organizations. These groups claim that the action puts the interests of the coal industry above public health.
Hayden Hashimoto (phonetic), a lawyer with the non-profit organization "Clean Air Task Force," said: "This revocation is unprecedented, illegal, and unreasonable regression, openly contradicting the efforts of Congress to reduce harmful air pollution from industrial facilities."
Supporting the coal industry was one of Trump's key policy goals for his second term.
In the third quarter of 2025, coal consumption in the United States increased by 5% year-on-year. (Translated by Zhu Jie)
Original source: toutiao.com/article/7609622188966035978/
Statement: The article represents the views of the author himself.