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Title: America's Dirtiest Coal Power Plants Given Exemptions from Pollution
Rules to Help Power AI

Link: https://news.slashdot.org/story/25/04/13/1540...

Somewhere in Montana sits the only coal-fired power plant in America that
hasn't installed modern pollution controls to limit particulate matter,
according to the Environmental Protecction Agency. Mining.com notes that it
has the highest emission rate of fine particulate matter out of any U.S. coal-
burning power plant. When inhaled, the finest particles are able to penetrate
deep into the lungs and even potentially the bloodstream, exacerbating heart
and lung disease, causing asthma attacks and even sometimes leading to
premature death. Yet America's dirtiest coal-fired power plant - and dozens
of others - "are being exempted from stringent air pollution mandates,"
reports Bloomberg, "as part of US. President Donald Trump's bid to revitalize
the industry: Talen Energy Corp.'s Colstrip in Montana is among 47 plants
receiving two-year waivers from rules to control mercury and other pollutants
as part of a White House effort to ease regulation on coal-fired sites,
according to a list seen by Bloomberg News. The exemptions were among a slew
of actions announced by the White House Tuesday to expand the mining and use
of coal. The Trump administration has argued coal is a vital part of the mix
to ensure sufficient energy supply to meet booming demand for AI data
centers. The carve-out, which begins in July 2027, lasts until July 2029,
according to the proclamation. In an email to Bloomberg, a White House
spokesperson said the move meant that America "will produce beautiful, clean
coal" while addressing "necessary electrical demand from emerging
technologies such as AI."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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