Coal Pollution Skyrockets As Trump Guts Pollution Protections
tags
A new analysis by the Natural Resources Defense Council shows that power-plant pollution increased by 18% in 2025
Coal power is slower and less safe than clean energy – and could actually raise your electricity bill
Washington, DC – Just weeks after the Trump administration took the most pro-pollution action in modern American history by repealing the endangerment finding, a new analysis shows that power-plant pollution has spiked under Trump’s watch. Trump’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has gutted pollution protections that could have saved Americans billions of dollars in health care, gasoline, and other costs.
Instead of investing in homegrown clean energy projects that would have actually lowered utility bills, Trump has aggressively pushed to keep coal plants open, despite the fact that it could increase electricity costs, saddling American ratepayers with a $3-6 billion bill by the end of 2028. Trump’s commitment to his billionaire coal baron donors earned him the “Undisputed Champion of Coal” prize from the Washington Coal Club.
Climate Power Senior Advisor Alex Witt issued the following statement: “Trump promised to ‘Make America Healthy Again’ but instead he’s giving big corporations a blank check to dump toxic pollutants into our air. The administration’s assault on pollution protections puts Americans’ health at risk at a time when families are already struggling to afford the health care they need, pumping more harmful chemicals into our air and water, and fueling illnesses like asthma, heat stroke, and cancer. Trump’s message is crystal clear: He’s happy to let Americans get sicker while his polluter pals get richer.”
Trump’s effort to roll back pollution protections will make Americans sicker and leave them with soaring utility bills:
- Pollution protections could have prevented “an estimated 30,000 deaths and saved $275 billion each year” in health care, gasoline, and other costs that are making America less affordable.
- Families and communities are already paying the price of climate change. Health care bills are rising as childhood asthma increases, insurance premiums are soaring, and extreme weather is destroying homes, jobs, and crops. Without science-based protections, these costs will rise unabated. Families will face more hospital visits, more pollution-related illnesses, and more economic harm.
- Propping up old coal plants is expensive and unreliable, and utilities pass those costs on to customers. Blocking cheaper clean energy keeps families stuck with higher bills.
- In just its first year, Trump’s EPA has:
- Weakened limits on toxic mercury from coal plants
- Rolled back multiple pollution protections that kept air and water cleaner
- Pushed to keep aging coal plants running instead of transitioning to cheaper clean energy
- Announced a decision to no longer consider lives saved in pollution rulemaking