Experts say EPA plan to roll back limits on power plant emissions will harm Chicago air quality

CBS News

7 hours ago

As the Environmental Protection Agency seeks to revoke a key rule setting limits on the amount of carbon dioxide emitted from fossil fuel-fired power plants, experts are concerned about how it could impact air quality in Chicago.
Experts in science, environmental law, and those representing EPA workers said the move will harm the air people breathe in the Chicago area.
The proposal would repeal greenhouse gas emission standards already in place. Those are emissions that impact people's health and the environment.
"As soon as the rule was released, the EPA employees started talking about how terrible this was going to be for the state of Illinois," said Nicole Cantello, president of AFGE Local 704, the union representing EPA workers in the Chicago area.
With air quality alerts and haze in the skies in the past couple weeks – related to the wildfires burning in Canada – we've all taken notice of the air we breathe in Chicago.
"We need to control every bit of pollution we possibly can from coal and gas plants, so when that happens, at least it won't be as terrible as it could be," Cantello said.
The rule the EPA is planning to roll back was put in place by the Biden administration.
The rule was finalized in April 2024 and is projected to reduce 1.38 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide – a major greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change – from entering the atmosphere by 2047, as well as eliminate tens of thousands of tons of other harmful air pollutants that are dangerous to public health.
"Emissions of carbon dioxide lead to serious concerns about climate change," said Don Wuebbles, emeritus professor of atmospheric sciences at the University of Illinois.
Every expert CBS News Chicago spoke to said the EPA's move would impact the air people breathe in Chicago.
"We're talking about emissions equivalent to 300 million cars being added to the road," said Brian Lynk, senior attorney at the Environmental Law and Policy Center. "It's a serious problem for public health. This will be a serious problem for the environment."
Just 30 miles away, in Gary, Indiana, a CBS News Chicago investigation revealed those residents are breathing some of the worst air in the country.
People who live in Gary are surrounded by steel plants, and have higher risks for developing asthma and some cancers.
"You have a still mill that is putting out a lot of pollutants and you're allowing there to be more of those emissions than you've had in the past. You're likely going to have even more major health issues," Wuebbles said.
A spokesperson for the EPA issued a statement saying: "Unlike the previous administration that tried to ram through regulations to destroy industries that didn't align with their narrow-minded climate change zealotry, the Trump EPA is committed to EPA's core mission of protecting human health and the environment. This is a much better rationale than trying to sneak through unlawful regulations to appease the radical climate lobby and repeatedly get struck down by the Supreme Court. When it comes to 'loosening stringent standards', many environmental groups were ecstatic when the Obama administration implemented the 2012 MATS rule."
Before the EPA can actually rescind the rule, there will be a process allowing the public to comment.
Environmental groups across the country said they are prepared to sue the EPA if it moves forward with its plan.
A spokesperson for the state responded to the plans in a statement, writing, "Illinois is reviewing the potential actions, but we remain committed to protecting Illinois residents and will not allow state air pollution rules to backslide."