The Missouri Sierra Club has unveiled a new mapping tool they said shows how rolling back U.S. Environmental Protection Agency safeguards on coal pollution could result in increased harmful emissions.
The Sierra Club called the tool "The Trump Coal Pollution Dashboard." It breaks down how five EPA rules, now at risk under proposed federal policies, help cut toxic pollution from coal plants. The dashboard showed that cutting the rules could mean more pollution from coal plants each year, including more than 500 million metric tons of carbon dioxide and over 325,000 tons of toxic wastewater.
Gretchen Waddell Barwick, director of the Missouri chapter of the Sierra Club, said it is literally a matter of life and death.
"We have annual reports on fish consumption guidelines because fish have mercury, and we can get mercury poisoning," Waddell Barwick pointed out. "We know that people are literally dying and getting respiratory illnesses because of the pollution that is coming from these plants."
Missouri's 11 coal plants still generate more than half the state's power. Supporters like the National Mining Association said coal is needed for reliable energy and local jobs.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce supports continued use of coal and other traditional energy sources, citing economic and energy security benefits, even as many coal plants age, with more than 8,000 megawatts of capacity expected to reach 60 years old by 2030.
Waddell Barwick emphasized why the Sierra Club created the dashboard.
"What we want with this dashboard is for people to know what's going on in their community and how it will impact their community," Waddell Barwick outlined.
As of 2024, the U.S. operates approximately 240 coal-fired power plants, with coal accounting for approximately 15% of the nation's electricity generation, down from nearly 50% in 2011.
This story is from the Missouri News Network, a news partner with KRCU Public Radio.
