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Protect Children From Toxic Mercury Air Pollution

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Mercury can harm children’s brain development. The EPA must restore strong power plant pollution limits now.

Protect Children From Toxic Mercury Air Pollution

The Environmental Protection Agency finalized a repeal of health-protecting updates to the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards, also known as MATS, for coal- and oil-fired power plants.1 The repeal returned the standards to earlier requirements and removed more protective limits adopted in 2024.2

Health and environmental groups sued the EPA over the rollback, arguing that it reduces protections from mercury and other toxic metals such as lead, arsenic, and nickel from coal-fired power plants.3

Mercury is a dangerous neurotoxin. It can harm brain development, especially for babies and children. Air toxics from power plants can also worsen asthma, damage lungs, increase cancer risk, and threaten people already living near industrial pollution.

Health Groups Are Fighting Back

The lawsuit challenges a rollback that allows more mercury, lead, and other toxic pollution from coal- and oil-fired power plants.4 The American Lung Association said the EPA’s action will expose more communities to mercury and other toxic pollutants, increasing risks tied to brain development impacts, asthma attacks, cancers, and premature deaths.5

Mercury and Air Toxics Standards have driven down dangerous mercury pollution from power plants by more than 90% since they took effect in 2015.6 Rolling back newer standards now threatens to reverse progress that protected families for years.

The EPA’s own MATS page states that the agency finalized the repeal of certain 2024 amendments on February 19, 2026.1 The Federal Register final rule confirms the repeal of amendments to the national standards for hazardous air pollutants from coal- and oil-fired electric utility steam generating units.2

Children And Frontline Communities Need Protection

The EPA Administrator has the power to restore the 2024 MATS updates, reinstate stronger limits on mercury and other hazardous metals, require strong emissions monitoring, and protect communities near coal- and oil-fired power plants.

Power plants should not be allowed to emit more toxic pollution because compliance is inconvenient. Children should not face avoidable neurotoxic exposure. Families near coal plants should not lose safeguards that modern pollution controls can provide.

The EPA’s mission is to protect health and the environment. That means keeping the strongest achievable protections against mercury and other air toxics.

Sign now to urge the EPA to restore Mercury and Air Toxics Standards and protect children and communities from toxic power plant pollution.

More on this issue:

  1. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, EPA (19 February 2026), "Mercury and Air Toxics Standards."
  2. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Federal Register (24 February 2026), "National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants: Coal- and Oil-Fired Electric Utility Steam Generating Units; Final Repeal."
  3. Valerie Volcovici, Reuters (30 March 2026), "Health, environmental groups sue EPA for rollback of mercury rule."
  4. Earthjustice, Earthjustice (30 March 2026), "Coalition Sues Trump EPA Over Illegal Repeal of Mercury and Air Toxics Standards."
  5. American Lung Association, American Lung Association (30 March 2026), "Leading Health Organizations Sue EPA Over Action to Allow More Mercury and Air Toxics Pollution."
  6. Environmental Defense Fund, EDF (30 March 2026), "Coalition Sues Trump EPA Over Illegal Repeal of Mercury and Air Toxics Standards."

The Petition

To the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency,

I urge the Environmental Protection Agency to restore the 2024 Mercury and Air Toxics Standards and protect children, pregnant people, and communities from toxic power plant pollution.

Mercury is a dangerous neurotoxin that can harm brain development, especially for babies and children. Coal- and oil-fired power plants can also release hazardous pollutants such as lead, arsenic, nickel, acid gases, and fine particles that threaten public health.

The EPA’s 2026 repeal of stronger 2024 standards weakens protections that were designed to reduce these risks. Public health and environmental organizations have sued EPA, warning that the rollback will allow more toxic pollution from power plants and put vulnerable communities at greater risk.

The EPA should not reverse progress on mercury and air toxics. Mercury and Air Toxics Standards have helped drive major reductions in power plant mercury pollution since they took effect. The agency should build on that success, not roll back modern safeguards.

Communities near coal plants often already face cumulative pollution burdens. Children, pregnant people, older adults, people with asthma, and families with limited access to health care can be especially vulnerable to increased pollution. They deserve stronger protection, not weaker limits.

Please restore the 2024 MATS updates, reinstate stronger limits on mercury and other hazardous metals, preserve emissions monitoring requirements, and require power plants to use available pollution controls. EPA should also provide clear public data about emissions and enforce violations quickly.

Power plant operators should not be allowed to emit more toxic pollution because strong standards cost money. Public health should come first.

The EPA’s mission is to protect human health and the environment. Please uphold that mission by restoring strong mercury and air toxics protections now.

Sincerely,

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