Toxic Coal Pollution Spikes to 25-Year High Under Trump

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Washington, D.C. — Pollution from coal-fired power plants has reached a quarter-century high under the Trump administration.

This massive spike comes as the Trump administration touts rollbacks of bedrock public health safeguards, exemptions for polluting coal plants from emission standards, and handouts to coal plants across the country. Last month, Donald Trump was crowned the “undisputed champion of coal” by the coal industry.

Coal pollution is known to cause respiratory illnesses, heart attacks, asthma, neurological disorders, cancer, and premature death.

In response, Sierra Club Climate Policy Director Patrick Drupp issued the following statement: “Donald Trump is betraying Americans and selling out our futures to the coal industry. This spike in coal pollution is an abject failure of his campaign promise to ‘Make Americans Healthy Again’, and his actions are only making Americans sicker. Americans should absolutely be alarmed and outraged by the threat we now face to our health and wallets because of Donald Trump’s favoritism towards coal.  We will continue to push back against these dangerous actions and defend our health and our futures.”

About the Sierra Club

The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person’s right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.