Summary

The Trump administration has granted nearly 70 coal-fired power plants a 2-year exemption from federal requirements to reduce emissions of toxic chemicals such as mercury, arsenic, and benzene.

Among plants receiving exemptions is the Colstrip Generating Station, a massive power plant in Colstrip, Montana, that emits more toxic air pollutants such as lead and arsenic than any other U.S. facility of its kind, according to the EPA.

Environmentalists called the exemptions “a dereliction of duty by Trump and EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin.” Critics say the plan “carve[s] a ragged hole through the heart of federal protections for the air we breathe.”

Environmental groups and public health advocates have denounced the administration’s plan to grant exemptions, which they say could allow hundreds of companies to evade laws meant to protect the environment and public health.