John,

Every day, coal-fired power plants release clouds of mercury and other toxic pollutants into the air.

And now the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is planning to make pollution standards for mercury and other toxic substances like lead and arsenic up to 70% weaker for power plants.1

We have until August 11 to tell the EPA: Don't undo life-saving limits on mercury and other toxic pollution.

Power plants are responsible for nearly half of all mercury emissions in the U.S.2

The mercury these plants pump into the air settles in nearby rivers and lakes, where it can poison fish and the people who eat them.

This potent toxin can damage our hearts, lungs and immune systems. It's especially dangerous to the neurological function of young children, even impacting brain development in the womb.3

Each year, an estimated 75,000 infants in the U.S. are born with an increased risk of developing learning disabilities due to mercury exposure through their mothers.4

Take action: Help protect kids from toxic mercury pollution.

When we're dealing with chemicals as devastating as mercury, it's critical that the EPA continues to do everything in its power to reduce our exposure.

Since 2012, standards for mercury pollution have saved tens of thousands of lives.5

The current standards are projected to reduce mercury pollution by 1,000 pounds in 2028 -- no small matter when just a few fractions of an ounce of mercury can contaminate a whole waterway.6,7

By weakening limits on mercury, the EPA wouldn't just be allowing power plants to pump more toxic chemicals into our environment, it would be jeopardizing the health of the American public.

Speak up today to protect kids from toxic chemicals.

Thank you,

Faye Park
President

1. Lisa Friedman, "E.P.A. Axes Biden's Climate and Pollution Limits on Power Plants," The New York Times, June 11, 2025.
2. Lisa Friedman, "E.P.A. Axes Biden's Climate and Pollution Limits on Power Plants," The New York Times, June 11, 2025.
3. Oliver Milman, "Trump's EPA announces major rollbacks to power plant pollution limits," The Guardian, June 11, 2025.
4. "Mercury Emissions: The Global Context," United States Environmental Protection Agency, last accessed July 31, 2025.
5. Keerti Gopal, "EPA Deregulation Would Be a 'Tragedy' for Health, Experts Say," Inside Climate News, March 19, 2025.
6. "Biden-Harris Administration Finalizes Suite of Standards to Reduce Pollution from Fossil Fuel-Fired Power Plants," United States Environmental Protection Agency, April 25, 2024.
7. Lisa Frank, "Ending mercury pollution should be a no-brainer," Environment America, June 22, 2023.

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