Trump’s Newest Gutting to Environment Will Pollute Indiana Air and Water with More Mercury, Arsenic, Lead

INDIANAPOLIS - Today, Donald Trump's Environmental Protection Agency dismantled a bedrock environmental and public health standard that protects Americans from mercury and dangerous toxic air pollutants, such as arsenic, lead, and chromium. Coal-fired power plants are already the largest source of mercury emissionsin Indiana, and mercury is one of the primary pollutantsin Indiana's rivers and reservoirs, where Hoosiers get their drinking water.

Mercury pollution is also a huge issue for fishing and recreation, as it bioaccumulates in fish and limits Hoosiers' abilities to safely eat the fish they catch. The most common exposure to mercury in the U.S. is by eating contaminated fish.

Last year, Hallador Energy received an EPA exemptionso its Merom coal plant can release mercury and other toxins into Indiana's air and water to power the needsof a "global data center developer," or data centers. Experts say there's no safe level of mercury consumptionin humans. Merom released 17.3 lbs of mercury in 2024.

Rolling back the new and more protective Mercury and Air Toxics Standards will allow coal- and oil-fired power plants to emit more damaging pollution that puts the public at greater risk of heart and lung disease, developmental delays and learning disabilities, cancer, and even premature death.The Sierra Club is still investigating the extent to which this will impact Indiana's coal plants.

In response, Sierra Club released the following statements:

Robyn Skuya-Boss, Hoosier Chapter Director: "Safe water for drinking, swimming, and fishing is non-negotiable. Indiana families want to eat the fish they catch from our lakes and streams without worrying that the fish they're eating is poisoned with mercury. After cutting the endangerment finding last week, the Trump Administration is doubling down on cutting corners for the coal and fossil fuel industries with these rollbacks. Trump is putting our most essential needs- safe water, clean air- in the hands of giant corporate polluters whose bottom line interest is to take as much profit as they can get, without regard for our health and safety. Today's rollbacks are yet another disaster for our environment and the well-being of Hoosier communities."

Laurie Williams, Beyond Coal Campaign Director: "Donald Trump's senseless decision to repeal the mercury standards is a direct attack on the health of Americans. For years, these lifesaving protections have slashed the amount of toxic pollution coal plants dump in our air and water, keeping millions of Americans safe from heart attacks, asthma and premature deaths, and protecting our babies from permanent neurological damage. Now, the president that promised to make Americans healthy again is deliberately weakening those safeguards, and families will suffer preventable illnesses simply because he wants to give the coal industry another handout.

"Americans deserve public health standards that are designed to protect people, not pad the profits of a polluting industry that can't compete with cheaper, reliable, renewable energy. But Donald Trump and Lee Zeldin have made their choice: help their buddies in the coal industry cut corners rather than prioritize the health and safety of our communities. The Sierra Club will fight this decision with everything we have to defend our communities from this dangerous and deadly rollback."

Repealing the MATS update would triple the amount of mercury the nation's dirtiest plants are allowed to release. In May 2025, the Trump administration exempted68 power plants-including some of the biggest polluters in the nation-from MATS after soliciting exemption requests from big polluters over email. The Sierra Club suedthe administration for these unlawful exemptions.

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About the Sierra Club

The Sierra Club is America's largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit https://www.sierraclub.org.