• Science AI News Trump is making coal plants even dirtier as AI demands more energy The US is lowering its standards for power plant pollution while generative AI and the Trump administration revive old coal plants. • The US is lowering its standards for power plant pollution while generative AI and the Trump administration revive old coal plants. • Link Share Gift The Trump administration just tossed out Biden-era restrictions on mercury and other toxic pollutants from power plants. • It’s repealingMercury and Air Toxics Standards(MATS) just aselectricity demand in the US ticks upwith the buildout of new AI data centers. • Those standards are particularly impactful when it comes to pollution from coal plantsresponsible for around half of mercury emissionsin the US. • Mercury is a neurotoxin; high exposure has beenlinked to birth defects and learning disabilities in children.
Article Summaries:
- The Trump administration has repealed the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) that were tightened under Biden, rolling the rules back to their 2012 levels. The move is aimed at reducing regulatory costs-estimated at $78 million annually from 2028-and is part of a broader effort to ease the construction of data centers and fossil‑fuel infrastructure needed to power the growing AI industry. Trump has also kept several aging coal plants online, citing increased electricity demand from AI data centers and other energy‑hungry sectors. Environmental groups warn the rollback will raise mercury emissions, a neurotoxin linked to serious health risks.
Sources: