"U.S. power plant pollution rose last year, according to a green group’s analysis of Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) data.
Emissions of sulfur dioxide increased by 18 percent in 2025, according to an analysis of the EPA data by the Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental advocacy group.
The group found that plants’ nitrogen oxide emissions increased 7 percent and their carbon dioxide emissions increased by 4 percent.
Both sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides can harm people’s respiratory systems.
The analysis found that at the dozens of coal plants that President Trump exempted from strict Biden-era standards for Mercury and Air Toxics (MATS), sulfur dioxide emissions increased by 24 percent."
Source: The Hill, 02/27/2026
