The Lignite Energy Council strongly applauds the EPA’s decision to repeal the Biden administration’s unachievable 2024 revisions to the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) rule and restore the proven 2012 standards.
“This is a significant and welcome step toward restoring balance in federal energy policy. The existing MATS standards are effective. They protect public health and have driven real emissions reductions, while allowing coal plants to continue delivering affordable, around-the-clock power,” said Jonathan Fortner, President & CEO of the Lignite Energy Council.
“This is a major victory for reliable energy, grid stability, and the communities that depend on coal generation,” he added. The Lignite Energy Council has pushing for the repeal of this ruling since it was first announced. Implementing the 2024 version would have threatened the livelihood of our power plants and our workforce, raised electricity prices for North Dakotans, and threatened the 12,000 direct and indirect jobs related to the industry.”
The 2024 revisions would have layered on roughly $1 billion in additional nationwide compliance costs, accelerating plant retirements at a time when more than 55,000 megawatts of coal capacity are already scheduled to come offline in the next five years. Meanwhile, the North American Electric Reliability Corporation continues to warn that large portions of the country face elevated blackout risks. Adding new burdens in this environment would have increased costs for families and weakened grid reliability. Repealing the 2024 amendments restores regulatory certainty and strengthens the role of coal in meeting growing electricity demand.