The Trump administration has proposed rule changes that would make it far easier for coal-fired power plants to release mercury and other toxins into the atmosphere. The plan proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency on Friday would change how the federal government calculates the costs of pollution on human health—dramatically downplaying the financial burden to society from deaths and illnesses. The Obama administration estimated the rules now set to be overturned would prevent 11,000 premature deaths each year.
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