Proposed federal rollbacks of dozens of environmental regulations could remove or relax restrictions on coal ash and particulates, rules that have helped improve air quality in Maine, which has some of highest asthma rates and oldest residents in the nation.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin said Wednesday that the country stands to save trillions of dollars in regulatory costs and “hidden taxes” by reviewing rules such as those on mercury and toxics emissions, coal plant wastewater and greenhouse gas reporting by companies nationwide. He said the moves are part of President Donald Trump’s efforts to reduce prices for Americans, reignite manufacturing across the country and advance American energy dominance.
Environment and health experts in Maine worry about that rationale, saying only big energy companies will benefit from the proposed changes. Zeldin released the slew of changes just before he was scheduled to speak to oil executives at CeraWeek, a major annual energy conference in Houston. The proposals still need to be approved through a process that includes public comment, and which typically takes months or even years. If they are approved, Mainers could suffer health and financial consequences, said Emily Carey Perez de Alejo, president of the nonprofit Defend Our Health in Portland.
“The deregulatory action is going to benefit big businesses that have been externalizing their costs of pollution onto us,” she said. “The regulations helped to put the costs of that pollution back on the companies, which is where it belongs.”
She said the proposals will substantially raise the cost of living for Americans because they will increase the likelihood of climate-related harms such as floods, droughts and fires. Mainers may have to buy filters for their drinking water and air in their homes, she said.
Maine has some of the highest asthma rates in the country, with one in nine Mainers suffering from the condition, according to the Maine Tracking Network. The state also has the oldest population in the nation, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Carey Perez de Alejo also criticized Zeldin for trying to change the EPA’s mission, which is “to protect human health and the environment,” saying Zeldin did not mention it in his comments on the proposed changes. She and others expect lawsuits over the proposals.
Several of the recommendations, including those to weaken or rescind regulations on coal ash and air particulates, worried Pete Didisheim, senior director of advocacy at the environment conservation nonprofit Natural Resources Defense Council of Maine in Augusta.
“Most pollution comes from upwind,” he said, referring to the prevailing winds bringing pollution from midwest manufacturing plants. “This is just a gift package to the fossil fuel sector.”
One proposal that he said was especially alarming would terminate the “Good Neighbor Plan,” which is designed to reduce air pollution that crosses borders into neighboring states. Maine is nicknamed the “tailpipe of the nation” because of fossil fuel pollution from neighboring and non-neighboring states. Prevailing winds typically blow from the west during most of the year in Maine.
“This has been a long-standing, bipartisan focus of Maine — the congressional delegation and our governors — over time,” Didisheim said. “They have called on upwind states to reduce their pollution so we don’t suffer from it, and there’s been multiple efforts to do that. The good neighbor plan is a significant one.”
When the EPA announced the Good Neighbor Plan in April 2023, it estimated that it could reduce ozone pollution by about 70,000 tons from power plants and industrial facilities in 2026.
Zeldin, in his announcement, said the Biden administration expanded the plan beyond the 23 initial states it covered and was heavy-handed in enforcing it. He recommended ending it.
Energy industry groups widely supported Zeldin’s recommendations, with American Petroleum Institute President and CEO Mike Sommers saying, “We are committed to working with Administrator Zeldin on commonsense policies that advance American energy dominance.”
Didisheim said none of the recommendations is a done deal, and each must go through regulatory processes that include providing environmental and economic justifications for the changes.
“They’re throwing everything against the wall and hoping that as much of it sticks as possible, and some of it won’t,” he said.
Lori Valigra reports on the environment for the BDN’s Maine Focus investigative team. Reach her at [email protected]. Support for this reporting is provided by the Unity Foundation, a fund at the Maine Community Foundation and donations by BDN readers.
