US President Donald Trump’s administration is once again seeking to scuttle cuts to pollution from coal-fired power plants. The Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday asked a federal appeals court in Washington to postpone the consideration of 2012 rules requiring energy companies to cut emissions of toxic chemicals, AP reported. The agency said in a court filing it wants to review the restrictions, which are already in effect. Nationally, most utilities are already on track to comply with the new standards. It is the latest in a string of moves by Trump’s appointees to help companies that profit from the burning of fossil fuels. Last week, EPA administrator Scott Pruitt announced he would seek to rewrite Obama-era rules limiting water pollution from coal-fired power plants. The agency also sought to roll back tighter restrictions on pollution from coal mines. Trump has pledged to reverse decades of decline in a US coal industry under threat from such cleaner sources of energy as natural gas, wind turbines and solar farms. Coal burned to generate electricity is also the nation’s largest source of mercury pollution, which when inhaled or ingested by pregnant women can harm the development of infant brains.
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