Kansas City, Ks - Today, the Sierra Club unveiled a new interactive toolthat shows the environmental toll of the Trump Administration's planned rollbacks of the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) safeguards on coal pollution in Kansas.

The Trump Coal Pollution Dashboard provides data on how much pollution would be reduced if five EPA rules were implemented: the Good Neighbor Plan, Regional Haze standards, Mercury and Air Toxics Standards, Effluent Limitation Guidelines, and Greenhouse Gas Standards. These safeguards are in place to curb emissions of nitrogen oxides, mercury, sulfur dioxide, carbon dioxide, wastewater pollution, and other toxic chemicals from burning coal. The interactive tool details each rule on its issue-specific tab and where each coal plant is located on a map.

Five coal plants operated by three different utilities throughout Kansas could escape pollution reductions according to the Trump Coal Pollution Dashboard. Those plants are listed followed by the applicable rule(s):

• Evergy's La Cygne coal plant, Unit 1 and 2; Greenhouse Gas Standards (111d) and Good Neighbor Plan
• Evergy's Jeffrey coal plant, Units 1, 2, and 3; Effluent Limitation Guidelines, Greenhouse Gas Standards (111d), and Regional Haze
• Evergy's Lawrence coal plant, Unit 5; Effluent Limitation Guidelines
• BPU's Nearman Creek coal plant, Unit 1; Greenhouse Gas Standards (111d) and Good Neighbor Plan
• Sunflower Electric Cooperative's Holcomb coal plant, Unit 1; Greenhouse Gas Standards (111d)

If the rules were fully implemented, Kansas would see an annual reduction of carbon dioxide emissions by 5,540,952 tons (44 percent reduction), 9,259 tons of coal wastewater pollution (76 percent reduction), 623.5 tons of sulfur dioxide (31 percent reduction), and 569.5 tons of nitrogen oxides (40 percent reduction). Nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide emissions present serious public health concerns, as well as particulate matter.

Evergyalso operates the Hawthorn and Iatan coal plants in Missouri that could escape pollution reductions, bringing its total non-impacted plants up to five. Evergy could receive these pollution exemptions as its climate planshave stalled in recent years.

Statement from Ty Gorman, Senior Campaign Organizing Strategist with the Sierra Club in Kansas:

"We are witnessing one of the largest transfers of wealth from hard-working families to financially comfortable monopoly utilities in our country's history between state and federal giveaways this year. Kansans value clean air and clean water, and we must fight hard for what we need because we're heading in the wrong direction."

Statement from Laurie Williams, Sierra Club's Beyond Coal Campaign Director Laurie Williams:

"The Trump Coal Pollution Dashboard demonstrates clearly that with every executive order, Donald Trump is recklessly releasing tons and tons of toxic, deadly chemicals into our air. These EPA safeguards were put in place to shield our communities from toxins that poison children, cause more asthma attacks, more heart attacks, and more premature deaths.

"The American people should be outraged that in the first few months of his presidency, Donald Trump has so callously attacked these lifesaving standards and given Big Coal a free pass to make Americans sicker with no consequence. The Sierra Club will continue to fight these dangerous rollbacks and defend our people from more deadly pollution."

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 www.sierraclub.org.