Eleven Coal, Coal-Waste Power Plants In Pennsylvania Now Covered By Presidential Exemption From 2024 Mercury, Hazardous Air Pollutant Regulation For 2 Years

The Executive Office of the President published notice in the April 21 Federal Register listing 47 coal and coal-waste fired power plants that are now exempt from from a hazardous air pollutant regulation covering mercury and other pollutants for two years.

The exempted facilities include 9 coal-waste fired power plants and two coal-fired power plants in Pennsylvania.

Specifically, the notice said the facilities are exempt from mercury and air toxics emissions adopted as part of a May 7, 2024 National Emissions Standards for Hazardous Air Pollution regulation adopted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

“The Rule places severe burdens on coal-fired power plants and, through its indirect effects, on the viability of our Nation's coal sector. Specifically, the Rule requires compliance with standards premised on the application of emissions-control technologies that do not yet exist in a commercially viable form. 

“The current compliance timeline of the Rule therefore raises the unacceptable risk of the shutdown of many coal-fired power plants, eliminating thousands of jobs, placing our electrical grid at risk, and threatening broader, harmful economic and energy security effects. 

“This in turn would undermine our national security, as these effects would leave America vulnerable to electricity demand shortages, increased dependence on foreign energy sources, and potential disruptions of our electricity and energy supplies, particularly in times of crisis.”

“The effect of this Exemption is that, during this 2-year period, these stationary sources are subject to the compliance obligations that they are currently subject to under the MATS as the MATS existed prior to the Rule.”

Coal Power Plants Exempted In PA

-- Talen Energy- Keystone-Conemaugh Projects, LLC  [Read more here]

-- Conemaugh Station Unit 1 and Unit 2 - Indiana County

-- Keystone Station Unit 1 and Unit 2 - Armstrong County

Coal-Waste Power Plants Exempted

-- Rausch Creek Generation LLC

Coal waste-fired power plant

Tremont, Schuylkill County

-- Olympus Power LLC - Northampton Generating Unit 1

Coal waste-fired power plant

Northampton, Northampton County

-- [Stronghold Digital Mining, Inc. Cryptocurrency] Panther Creek Power - Panther Creek Pyropower  [Read more here]

Unit and Pyropower Unit 2

Coal waste-fired power plant

Nesquehoning, Carbon County

-- [Stronghold Digital Mining, Inc. Cryptocurrency] Scrubgrass Reclamation Company LP - Scrubgrass Generating  [Read more here]

Plant/Venango Number 2 CFB Boiler, Number 2 CFB  Boiler (032) 

Scrubgrass Township, Venango County

-- Seward Generation - Seward Generation Station 

Coal waste-fired power plant

Indiana County

-- Ebensburg Power Company - EPC Generating Station 

Coal waste-fired power plant

Ebensburg, Cambria County

-- Schuylkill Energy Resources -  St. Nicholas Cogeneration Project 

Coal waste-fired power plant

Shenandoah, Schuylkill County

-- Ri-Corp Development Inc, Gilberton Power Company - John B. Rich Memorial

Power Station

Coal waste-fired power plant

Frackville, Schuylkill County

-- Mount Carmel Cogen Inc. -  Mount Carmel Cogen Power Plant 

Coal waste-fired power plant

Marion Heights, Northumberland County

Click Here for the April 21 Federal Register Notice.

PA Coal-Waste Tax Credit

In addition to this new exemption from air pollution regulations, coal-waste-fired power plants in Pennsylvania were awarded $105 million in tax credits between 2016 and 2024 under the state Coal Refuse Energy Reclamation Tax Credit Program, according to a 2022 Independent Fiscal Office evaluation of the program and the Big Budget Book page D6.

Coal-waste power plants are eligible for up to $20 million in state tax credits a year up to 2023-24 and $55 million a year for the next four fiscal years, according to the Department of Revenue and the [Big Budget Book, page D6.

NewsClips:

-- The Allegheny Front: President Grants Exemptions From Mercury Rules For Coal-Fired Power Plants, Including Several In PA

-- Utility Dive: EPA Grants Exemptions To Mercury, Air Toxics Rule To More Than A Third Of US Coal-fired Power Plants

Resource Links:

-- PJM Interconnection Supports Presidential Exemptions From Clean Air Act Standards Requested By 13,900 MW Of Electric Generation In PJM Region, Including Keystone And Conemaugh Power Plants In PA  [PaEN]

-- Stronghold Digital Mining, DEP, Environmental Groups Settle Appeal, Require Removal Of Unpermitted Scrubgrass Power Plant's Coal Ash Pile 14 Months Faster In Venango County  [PaEN] 

-- Save Carbon County Files Lawsuit In Philadelphia Court Against Stronghold Digital, DEP, Governor, PUC Over Cryptocurrency Operations At Panther Creek Power Plant  [PaEN]

-- EPA: Clean Air Act Presidential Exemption Request Information; Send Requests To: airaction @ epa.gov  [PaEN] 

Related Articles This Week:

-- PUC Releases Agenda For April 24 Hearing On Its Review Of Electric Grid Impacts From Data Center Growth  [PaEN]

-- New Report: Fixing PJM’s Broken Electric Generation Approval Process Can Lower Energy Costs, Create Jobs Across The Mid-Atlantic  [PaEN] 

-- North American Electric Reliability Corp. Files Proposed Cold Weather Standard To Improve Reliability For Natural Gas-fired, Other Electric Generators  [PaEN]

-- PUC Commissioners Urge Congressional Action To Preserve $19 Million In Remaining LIHEAP Funds For PA This Year  [PaEN] 

NewsClips:

-- United Mine Workers, United Steelworkers File Action In Federal Court To Overturn MSHA Delay In Enforcing Silica Rule To Protect Mine Workers 

-- TribLive: Delay In Federal ‘Silica Rule’ Leaves Some Coal Miners’ Advocates Worried

-- PublicNewsService.org: Proposed Federal NIOSH Cuts Could Affect Health Of Coal Miners

-- Energy Association Of PA [Utilities] Calls For Protection Of LIHEAP Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program

[Posted: April 21, 2025]  PA Environment Digest