The EPA is looking to remove regulations that force gas and coal-fired power plants to curb climate change-causing emissions.
It's part of the Trump administration's plans to once again withdraw the U.S. from the Paris Climate Agreement. The 2015 agreement set international goals to curb greenhouse gas emissions globally in order to avoid disastrous impacts of climate change.
Environmental Protection Agency administrator Lee Zeldin said ending the regulations won't cause power plants to emit any more pollution, and that the rules had been 'suffocating' the economy.
The power sector is responsible for 25% of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. It's the second-largest source of emissions, behind transportation.
Liz Scott of the American Lung Association said the public health community is opposed to the cuts.
"Carbon is a greenhouse gas emission that is contributing to climate change, and we also know that climate change is also making air quality worse," she said. "So repealing these are could have very broad implications across the country."
Under the new rules, power plants wouldn't have any responsibility to curb greenhouse gas emissions, or emissions of other air-borne pollutants, like mercury.
Exposure to mercury, which is emitted from burning coal, can harm brain function, especially in children. And that's not the only public health concern, Scott said.
"What we will see is that we will see people get sick from emissions that could have been prevented," she said. "As we all know, air moves. And so, the air quality impact could be very far reaching from this."
Far-reaching to places like Maine, in particular. Maine is a 'downwind' state. This means emissions from a coal-fired power plant out west, for example, could make their way up to Maine. Prevailing winds move pollution from other states as far as remote parts of the state like Acadia National Park.
The EPA plans will now enter a public comment period. Once the rules are finalized, they're likely to be challenged in court.