Fact Sheet: EPA Mercury Rules and Power Reliability

This World Resources Institute fact sheet argues that the U.S. electricity grid can remain reliable while implementing EPA rules to reduce mercury and toxic emissions. It highlights the flexibility of the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS), the availability of compliance technologies (FGD, DSI, ACI), and the existence of replacement plant capacity as key reasons why reliability will not be compromised.

• The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is implementing rules, including the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS), to reduce mercury and toxic air emissions from power plants. These rules target antiquated plants lacking pollution controls, leading to debates over whether retiring or retrofitting these plants will impact electricity capacity.
• The document argues that electricity system reliability can be maintained during the implementation of EPA rules due to four factors: flexible enforcement options used by state and federal regulators to delay closures; the history of 17 states (including Montana) imposing toxic emission rules without imperiling reliability; the availability of new plant capacity in the pipeline; and the temporal and technological flexibility of the MATS rule.
• Compliance with the MATS rule is expected to allow for a three-year window, with potential extensions of a fourth year from the EPA or additional security-based extensions from the President. Proven technologies such as Activated Carbon Injection (ACI), Dry Sorbent Injection (DSI), and Flue Gas Desulphurization (FGD) can be installed within 10 to 30 months.
• Mercury emissions from power plants can lead to neurological problems in humans who consume contaminated seafood, posing particular risks to pregnant women and children. Consequently, a court order required the EPA to finalize the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) by December 16, 2011.

APA

World Resources Institute (n.d.). Fact Sheet: EPA Mercury Rules and Power Reliability. https://www.wri.org/research/fact-sheet-epa-mercury-rules-and-power-reliability

Chicago

World Resources Institute. Fact Sheet: EPA Mercury Rules and Power Reliability. n.d. https://www.wri.org/research/fact-sheet-epa-mercury-rules-and-power-reliability.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=Fact Sheet: EPA Mercury Rules and Power Reliability |url=https://www.wri.org/research/fact-sheet-epa-mercury-rules-and-power-reliability |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitutendfact, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{Fact Sheet: EPA Mercury Rules and Power Reliability}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, url = {https://www.wri.org/research/fact-sheet-epa-mercury-rules-and-power-reliability}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }