#Arizona’s #ApacheGeneratingStation is one of 66 #CoalPlants to get #EPA exemption from Biden-era #toxic #AirPollution caps
Sammy Travis / Cronkite News
April 21, 2025
"WASHINGTON — The Apache Generating Station, one of the last remaining power plants in Arizona that use coal, is among 66 power plants nationwide granted exemptions by the Trump administration from updated standards on mercury, arsenic, lead and other toxic pollutants.
Environmentalists worry that allowing plants to avoid compliance with the new standards could harm air quality, public health and the environment.
Power companies have been phasing out coal plants in Arizona for years. The last is targeted for closure in 2032, when federal rules kick in that require 90% capture of carbon emissions.
But Arizona’s intense summer heat puts a strain on the supply of electricity, and power companies have long turned to older, dirtier technology when demand peaks.
At issue are Environmental Protection Agency standards known as the MATS rule, part of the Clean Air Act, which President Richard Nixon signed in 1970. Congress updated it in 1977 and 1990.
The Apache Generating Station’s waiver allows its owner and operator, Arizona Electric Power Cooperative, to comply with the 2012 version of the federal standards rather than stricter caps issued by the EPA in April 2024.
The MATS rule was originally aimed at coal-burning plants. The EPA has expanded it to apply to natural gas; Apache, a 408-megawatt plant about 80 miles east of Tucson, uses both.
Natural gas generates far less toxic material and particulate matter than coal. But it does create carbon dioxide, and the Biden administration also issued rules aimed at curbing those greenhouse emissions.
[Next section talks about how UPGRADES ARE EXPENSIVE! THEN HAVE BILLIONAIRES PAY FOR THEM! OR REPLACEMENT ENERGY SOURCES!]
"President Donald Trump signed an order shortly after taking office that rolled back Biden-era EPA regulations. In April, he signed multiple executive orders promoting coal.
"His cost-cutting effort, led by billionaire Elon Musk, has also aggressively curtailed the EPA’s staff and mission."
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