Attorney General Becerra Criticizes Trump Administration’s Attack on Mercury Pollution Limits

SACRAMENTO — California Attorney General Xavier Becerra today issued the following statement in response to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) announcement of a final rule undermining the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards:

“This rule continues the Trump Administration’s agenda to rig the rulemaking process in favor of the fossil fuel industry and to disguise the harmful impacts of air pollution,” said Attorney General Becerra. “While the EPA callously closes its eyes to the life-saving benefits of limiting particulate matter pollution from coal-fired power plants, we will continue to fight for public health and the environment. With respiratory illness on the rise and growing evidence that particulate matter pollution makes people more susceptible to COVID-19, now is the worst time to start ignoring the benefits of cleaner air." 

Attorney General Becerra, as part of multistate coalition, previously filed a comment letter criticizing the EPA's proposed determination that existing regulations limiting mercury emissions from coal-fired power plants are not appropriate. The comment letter argued that the EPA cannot ignore that these standards save lives by reducing particulate matter emissions. Attorney General Becerra is likewise fighting the EPA’s efforts to justify suppressing science that demonstrates the benefits of reducing air pollution.