The Environmental Protection Agency is scaling back limits on toxic emissions from coal-burning power plants,

clearing the way for them to emit more hazardous pollutants like mercury.

Stephanie Sy has more on these changes.

That's right, Omna.

In a statement today, the EPA said the deregulatory action will ensure affordable, dependable energy for American families and restore American energy dominance.

Public health advocates are warning that rolling back limits on mercury and other hazardous air pollutants would harm human health and ultimately drive up health care costs, too.

To get more on that and the environmental perspective, I'm joined by John Walk from the Natural Resources Defense Council or NRDC.

John, thank you for taking the time to join the news hour.

As you know, the administration can't really roll back all the mercury restrictions,

which courts have upheld

under the Clean Air Act since 2012, right? So what is the Trump administration doing exactly?

And what do you think is the ultimate goal? The Trump EPA today rolled back safer limits

on mercury pollution by 70 percent. They rolled back safer limits on mercury pollution by 70%.

They rolled back safer limits on toxic soot pollution by two-thirds,

and they rolled back any need for continuous emissions monitors.

They claim affordability, but in the fine print of their own document,

they emit that this repeal will have

no impact on electricity prices. And indeed, the safer limits and better monitoring would have

had no impact on electricity prices. Now, we did ask a representative with the Trump administration's

EPA to join us. They declined, at least for today.

But they pretty much share the power industry's perspective on this,

which is that the additional regulations Biden's EPA put forth were harmful to the coal industry

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