"A wastewater rule the Trump administration pushed through as a Hail Mary for struggling coal plants is now being cited as a reason some of those same units are opting to close.
Environmental advocates say tough economics are also fueling those decisions.
Operators at more than two dozen coal plants across the nation, including some of the largest facilities in Pennsylvania, told state regulators that a federal wastewater regulation aimed at curbing high levels of toxic chemicals like mercury, arsenic, nitrogen and selenium is playing into their decision to close by 2028 or shift to natural gas, according to an analysis of regulatory filings the Sierra Club collected and analyzed.
Specifically, 21 plants are closing and six more may switch to running on gas, and their owners are blaming — to different degrees — “effluent limitation guidelines,” also known as ELGs, that EPA finalized last year under the Trump administration. The Associated Press first reported the Sierra Club’s findings."
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