Washington: The Trump administration has granted nearly 70 coal-fired power plants a two-year exemption from federal regulations aimed at reducing toxic emissions like mercury, arsenic, and benzene, according to a list on the Environmental Protection Agency website.

According to Anadolu Agency, the exemptions were granted to 47 power providers, operating 66 coal-fired plants, from certain Biden-era Clean Air Act regulations, including those limiting mercury and toxin emissions. These exemptions apply to several of the country's most polluting power plants located in states such as Montana, North Dakota, Alabama, and Tennessee. These states, situated in the US South and West/Midwest, strongly supported Donald Trump in the last fall elections which contributed to his return to the White House.

This policy shift follows President Trump's recent executive order aimed at promoting US coal. Trump asserted that former President Joe Biden and congressional Democrats had spent four years attempting to "abolish" the American coal industry. In his executive order, Trump declared, "We're slashing unnecessary regulations that targeted the beautiful clean coal. We will rapidly expedite leases for coal mining on federal lands ... and we'll streamline permitting."

On his inauguration day this January, Trump reiterated his commitment to bolster domestic fossil fuel production while announcing the withdrawal from the Paris Agreement. This decision has raised concerns among scientists who warn that such actions could dangerously heat the Earth, rendering large parts of the planet uninhabitable and leading to more climate-triggered disasters.