Trump exempts more than 100 polluters from environmental standards
The Trump administration is exempting dozens of chemical manufacturers, oil refineries, coal plants, medical device sterilizers and other polluters from Clean Air Act rules.
On Thursday, the White House announced it would exempt more than 100 plants from pollution limits established by the Biden administration.
The limits are aimed at reducing the releases of toxic chemicals, including those that cause cancer. One rule that the Trump administration is exempting about 50 polluters from would have been expected to reduce cancer risks of people living within 6 miles of a chemical plant by 96 percent.
The Trump administration touted its decision as being supportive of fossil fuels and manufacturing.
“President Trump recognizes that overly restrictive environmental regulations undermine America’s energy reliability, economic vitality, and national security,” according to a White House fact sheet.
However, the move also stands in contrast with the administration’s pledge to “make America healthy again.”
"Trump’s action on behalf of big corporate polluters will cause more cancer, more birth defects, and more children to suffer asthma. The country deserves better,” Patrice Simms, vice president of litigation at Earthjustice’s Healthy Communities Program, said in a written statement.
The administration issued four proclamations exempting the total of more than 100 facilities from one of four rules for two years.
One proclamation exempts about 40 medical device sterilizing plants from requirements to reduce 90 percent of their emissions of cancer-causing ethylene oxide.
Another exempts more than 50 chemical manufacturers and oil refineries from requirements to cut emissions of toxic chemicals including ethylene oxide and another cancer-linked chemical called chloroprene.
A third proclamation exempts eight producers of taconite iron ore, which is used to make steel, from requirements to reduce mercury emissions by about 33 percent. Fetal exposure to mercury is linked to brain and nervous system damage.
The fourth proclamation exempts six coal plants from restrictions on releases of mercury, nickel, arsenic and lead. The Biden-era rule in question was expected to reduce exposure to substances that can cause developmental delays in children, as well as heart attacks and cancer.
The Trump administration had already said it plans to overturn a wide swath of rules aimed at reducing pollution, so by the time the two-year exemptions expire, the rules in question may no longer be in place.
This week’s proclamations are the second publicly announced set of exemptions issued by the Trump administration.
Trump previously exempted 66 coal plants from the standard limiting mercury, lead, nickel and arsenic emissions.
The decisions come after a March move from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to set up a portal allowing polluters to request exemptions from nine Clean Air Act rules.
At the time, an EPA spokesperson noted the Biden administration had previously said it would consider exempting facilities from the ethylene oxide rule to prevent disruptions to supply chains for medical devices.
However, critics described the portal as an “invitation” for companies to pollute.
Chemical lobbying groups in April requested a blanket exemption to certain rules for their industry.