Environmental groups in Texas are voicing concern about the Trump administration's plans to roll back the Mercury and Air Toxins Standards.

The regulation limits the amount of mercury and other pollutants power plants can release into the environment.

Emma Pabst, southern regional Beyond Coal Campaign manager for the Sierra Club, said the 13 active coal-fired power plants in Texas emit more mercury than plants in other states and it is calling on individual energy companies to control hazardous pollutants.

"What’s bad for Texans is bad for business," Pabst contended. "Texans are connecting the dots between the companies that they buy their electricity from and the companies that own the coal plants. And if these companies want to keep their stake in the electric market, they need to start doing right by the people of Texas."

Mercury can cause developmental delays and has been proven to be especially harmful to children and pregnant mothers. The rollback would keep updates passed in 2024 from going into effect. The Trump administration said the move will alleviate costs for utilities running older coal plants.

Texas is one of two states where plants are allowed to burn lignite coal, which emits more mercury than black coal. The rules required lignite-burning coal plants to follow the same mercury standards as other coal plants. Pabst argued the rollbacks will affect Texans' health and the economy.

"Across the board, we see that these rollbacks are hitting people’s wallets by driving up energy costs," Pabst stressed. "Also, by putting us in hospital rooms and urgent cares to deal with ever-increasing health costs due to these environmental pollutants."

The Environmental Protection Agency said the 2012 rule provides “an ample margin of safety to protect public health,” and the cost of the proposed 2024 additions would outweigh the benefits.