The Trump administration today proposed to “repeal all greenhouse gas (GHG) standards for fossil fuel-fired power plants” by abandoning its statutory obligation to protect public health and welfare and departing from long-settled scientific consensus that power plant emissions contribute to dangerous air pollution.
Fossil fuel-generated power plants emit pollutants like nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulfur dioxide, and soot, which can cause deadly lung and heart ailments. Airborne pollution also contributes roughly a quarter of the excess nitrogen pollution to the Bay. When this pollution falls to the water, the excess nitrogen contributes to the growth of algae blooms, which can create low-oxygen dead zones that suffocate fish, crabs, and other marine life.
Communities around the Chesapeake Bay are among the most vulnerable to sea level rise on the East Coast, while warming temperatures are changing the Bay’s ecosystem. Heat-trapping carbon emissions from electricity generators are the second-largest contributor to climate change, after transportation.
The Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) supported the power plant limits, finalized in April 2024, as important tools for fighting climate change and reducing nitrogen pollution in waterways.
Additionally, the Trump administration today proposed to roll back a separate regulation to prevent dangerous pollution from mercury and air toxics. CBF has long supported the mercury and air toxics standards. Mercury is the most common metal pollutant in Bay waters. Reducing levels of this dangerous neurotoxin is important to restoring the Bay and its tributaries and protecting the health of people living across our region.
Chesapeake Bay Foundation Senior Vice President for Programs Alison Prost issued the following statement.
“Rolling back rules that stop dangerous pollution from power plants is a direct threat to the Chesapeake Bay and millions of people living in our region.
“Extreme weather from climate change leads to more pollution washing into waterways, while power plant emissions are a significant contributor to pollution in the Chesapeake Bay. Homes and businesses along the Bay are among the most vulnerable to sea level rise on the entire East Coast.
“We must stand together against these rollbacks that put our health, homes, and waterways at risk.”
Washington, D.C. Communications & Media Relations Manager, CBF
lcaruso@cbf.org
202-793-4485
