EPA finalizes repeal of 2024 power-plant mercury rule amendments
Published · Updated
What happened
The EPA announced a final rule repealing the 2024 amendments to the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards for power plants. EPA said the repeal removes compliance costs tied to the 2024 changes and keeps earlier environmental protections in force.
Why it matters
The final rule changes federal emissions compliance requirements for parts of the U.S. power sector and can affect plant retirement timing, operating costs, and power-market expectations. It also opens a new litigation and implementation phase because regulated utilities, states, and advocacy groups can now react to a completed federal action rather than a proposal.
On September 25, 2026, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said it finalized repeal of the 2024 amendments to the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards for power plants. EPA said the action would save an estimated $670 million while leaving prior MATS requirements in place. The move changes the compliance path for coal- and oil-fired generators and is likely to prompt near-term legal and operational follow-through.
Watch for
Federal Register publication of the EPA final rule text and effective date on or after 2026-09-26 U.S. Court of Appeals docket entries showing petitions for review against the EPA repeal by 2026-09-29 PJM Interconnection or MISO market notices citing the EPA rule in generator retirement, outage, or reliability planning updates by 2026-09-29 EPA release of implementation guidance or compliance FAQs for affected power plants by 2026-09-29
Sources
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