The EPA has issued new pollution rules governing coal-burning power plants. The details indicate that the new rules would increase carbon emissions and lead to up to 1,400 premature deaths annually.
The new rules make minor on-site efficiency improvements at individual plants and also let states relax pollution rules for power plants that need upgrades, keeping them active longer. Emissions would grow under the plan, as the plan says “implementing the proposed rule is expected to increase emissions of carbon dioxide and the level of emissions of certain pollutants in the atmosphere that adversely affect human health.”
The plan defining the rules predicts between 470 and 1,400 premature deaths annually by 2030 because of increased rates of microscopic airborne particulates known as PM 2.5, which are dangerous because of their link to heart and lung disease as well as their ability to trigger chronic problems like asthma and bronchitis. Plus, at least 21,000 new missed days of school annually by 2030 because those pollutants would increase in the atmosphere rather than decrease.
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