Michigan experts concerned about EPA repeal of Biden-era pollution regulations

The Trump administration and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency say they're saving energy companies more than $300 billion by repealing Biden-era pollution regulations for coal and gas-burning power plants.

Experts tell CBS Detroit that the administration is choosing savings over public health and the climate.

"The decision allows these types of facilities to emit more pollution into the air," said Tom Luben, research scientist at the University of Michigan School of Public Health.

Facilities like the Monroe coal-burning power plant, which is set to retire by 2032.

"With the pollution comes greenhouse gases as well as other harmful air pollutants, including things like particulate matter and ozone, which is sometimes referred to as smog," Luben said.

Luben says increased air pollution from coal-fired power plants can raise public health risks, but that might not be a long-term concern in Michigan due to our state regulations and the transition away from coal, according to Michael Craig, associate professor at the U of M School of Environment & Sustainability,

"Nowhere in the United States are coal plants protected by growing wind, growing solar, growing natural gas, and all those straight economic market forces that are being exerted on coal plants," said Craig.

Craig says he's more concerned about the EPA repealing greenhouse gas standards from natural gas plants.

"There are rules that were gotten rid of that would have required those gas plants to put in this control technology, carbon capture sequestration, which basically reduces their carbon dioxide emissions by 90%. We lose that signal to industry that we scale this technology because it's going to be something we need in the long run," he said.

Craig says that with more data centers being built, there will be more natural gas plants powering them, making this a pretty bad time for carbon capture technology to fall by the wayside.