The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to delay by five years Biden-era standards that restrict power plants’ ability to release pollution into waterways.
It also indicated that it could take further steps to potentially weaken the regulation in the meantime, saying in a press release that it is requesting information on challenges related to the Biden-era rule to “inform potential future rulemaking.”
The rule in question would have been expected to reduce pollution including releases of mercury and arsenic and result in fewer cancer cases as a result.
Meanwhile, the Interior Department announced that it planned to open up 13.1 million acres of federal land for coal leasing.
A spokesperson for the department said specifically that it would be opening up areas blocked off in parts of North Dakota, Wyoming and Montana.
Additionally, the Energy Department announced it would put $625 million toward supporting coal. This includes $350 million for recommissioning and retrofitting plants for near-term power and an additional $175 million for projects in rural areas.
Read more at TheHill.com.
