Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, as part of a coalition of 17 state attorneys general, Chicago, New York City





Share or view as webpage [ [link removed] ] | Unsubscribe [ [link removed] ]






Michigan Department of Attorney General Press Release banner [ [link removed] ]




*FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:*
August 15, 2025




*Media Contact:*
Danny Wimmer <[email protected]>






Attorney General Nessel Strongly Urges Against Federal Rollback of Limits on Dangerous Emissions of Mercury and Other Hazardous Air Pollutants from Power Plants

*LANSING– *Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, as part of a coalition of 17 state attorneys general, Chicago, New York City and the California Air Resources Board, filed comments (PDF) [ [link removed] ] opposing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) proposal to repeal the 2024 Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) Rule and revert to outdated standards that would harm the environment and public health.  

The MATS Rule implements nationwide standards that limit emissions of toxic air pollutants from coal- and oil-fired power plants, such as mercury and other toxic metals, acid gases such as hydrogen chloride, and formaldehyde. Given significant developments in the technologies used to control pollution, in 2024 the EPA updated standards for emissions of these hazardous air pollutants from power plants. The Trump administration is proposing to repeal those standards and revert to the standards as they existed in 2012. 

“Weakening clean air protections will force communities living downwind from power plants to breathe mercury and other dangerous pollutants that threaten our health and our environment,” Nessel said. “I am proud to stand with my colleagues against unlawfully rolling back standards that protect Michiganders.” 

The coalition explained mercury and other hazardous air pollutants disproportionately harm people that live near coal- and oil-fired power plants. Mercury is a potent neurotoxin that poses serious dangers to public health, especially for pregnant women and children. 

For example, a pregnant person’s consumption of mercury exposes the developing fetus to mercury and can cause lifelong developmental harms and neurological disorders such as seizures, vision and hearing loss, or delayed development. Exposure to mercury also increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and autoimmune dysfunction in adults. 

Mercury emissions from power plants are also a major contributor to mercury contamination in U.S. waterways. Mercury pollution in lakes and rivers harms the local commercial and recreation fishing economies, as well as tribal nations and indigenous peoples that rely on fishing for subsistence. 

Attorney General Nessel and the coalition also argue that the proposed repeal is unlawful because the EPA has failed to provide a reasoned basis for its proposed repeal and failed to adequately consider developments in practices, processes and control technologies in its proposal to revert to outdated standards. For these reasons, the attorneys general write that repealing the current standards would violate the Administrative Procedure Act.  

Joining Attorney General Nessel in submitting the comments are the attorneys general of Arizona, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington, along with Chicago, New York City, and the California Air Resources Board. 

###






AG logo [ [link removed] ]





*Media Inquiries* <[email protected]>




*Latest Releases* [ [link removed] ]




*File a Complaint* [ [link removed] ]








Connect with us:

facebook icon [ [link removed] ] x icon [ [link removed] ] youtube icon [ [link removed] ] instagram icon [ [link removed] ] linkedin icon [ [link removed] ] govdelivery icon <[email protected]> threads icon [ [link removed] ]

If you wish to no longer receive emails from us, 
please update your preferences here:
Manage Preferences [ [link removed] ]  |  Delete Profile [ [link removed] ]

Need further assistance?
Contact Us  |  Help [ [link removed] ]

________________________________________________________________________

Get personalized voter information on early voting and other topics at Michigan.gov/Vote [ [link removed] ].

________________________________________________________________________

This email was sent to [email protected] using GovDelivery Communications Cloud on behalf of: Michigan Attorney General · G. Mennen Williams Building, 7th Floor · 525 W. Ottawa St., P.O. Box 30212 · Lansing, MI 48909 · 517-373-1100
body .abe-column-block { min-height: 5px; } table.gd_combo_table img {margin-left:10px; margin-right:10px;} table.gd_combo_table div.govd_image_display img, table.gd_combo_table td.gd_combo_image_cell img {margin-left:0px; margin-right:0px;} table.govd_hr {min-width: 100%;} p, li, h1, h2, h3 { overflow-wrap: normal; word-wrap: normal; word-break: keep-all; -moz-hyphens: none; -ms-hyphens: none; -webkit-hyphens: none; hyphens: none; mso-hyphenate: none; }