February 20, 2026
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact
Milagros R. Elia
Program Manager, Climate and Clean Energy Advocacy
Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments
914.455.1165
Nurses Oppose Repeal of Mercury and Air Toxics Standards
[Washington, D.C.] On February 20, 2026, the EPA issued its official repeal of the 2024 Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS). Today’s ruling repeals the 2024 updated limits on mercury and air toxics from power plants. The 2024 rule was projected to yield $300 million in health benefits from 2028-2037 through emissions reductions in the amount of 1,000 pounds of mercury and 770 tons of fine particulate matter (PM2.5).
In response to the proposal, the Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments Executive Director Katie Huffling, DNP, RN, CNM, FAAN issued the following statement:
“ANHE strongly opposes the repeal of 2024 MATS updates, a commonsense health protective action to reduce toxic pollution from coal and oil-fired power plants. Those that will be most impacted by today’s decision are our communities, our patients, and those living closest to power plants. EPA’s mission is to protect human health and the environment. In repealing the strengthened standard for mercury air toxics from some of the dirtiest coal plants that exist, EPA is acting against its own mission. With each delay and decade that passes, another generation of children, who are particularly vulnerable to the effects of mercury, remain exposed to unnecessary levels of pollution.
“The 2024 updated standards would not only reduce mercury, but would also cut co-pollutants like sulfur dioxide and fine particulates contributing to further health benefits. . Mercury is a potent neurotoxin that causes permanent harm to the brains of babies and fetuses, leading to birth defects, developmental delays, learning disabilities and interferes with neurological development. Nurses are urging EPA to reverse this decision and reinstate the 2024 standards.”
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The Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments is the only national nursing organization focused solely on the intersection of health and the environment. The mission of the Alliance is to support nurses in promoting planetary health and equity globally by educating and leading the nursing profession, advancing research, incorporating planet-safe practice, and influencing policy.
