The two chemical industry groups are asking President Trump for a complete exemption to free factories from new restrictions on dangerous air pollution.
Under new rules established by the Biden administration last year, chemical plastics will soon be needed to monitor and reduce the emission of toxic pollutants, such as ethylene oxide, a cancer-causing ingredient used in antifreezes and plastics.
Currently, two groups, the American Chemical Council, which represents the leading US chemical companies, and the American Fuel & Petrochemical Makers, are seeking the rules for a temporary presidential exemption for all polluters.
The new requirement was a letter dated March 31, obtained by the Environmental Defense Fund, an environmental advocacy group, which brought member companies “a significantly more expensive requirement on an in-feasible timeline.”
In a letter to Environmental Protection Agency administrator Lee Zeldin, the group said even some of the new rules would cost the meeting to businesses more than $50 billion.
The request comes after the EPA last month told businesses could apply for exemptions from major clean air rules by sending emails to agents. The EPA pointed to some of the Clean Air Act, which allows the president to temporarily exempt industrial facilities from the new rules if the technology necessary to meet these rules is not available, and if it is for national security.
Under Trump, the EPA has moved to roll back many of the same rules. This means that businesses are granting temporary exemptions ultimately means they don't have to comply with the new rules.
“While we won't go any further than the president, we can confirm President Trump's commitment to unleash America's energy, protecting national security and ensuring environmental control,” White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers said in a statement.
Biden-era regulations were part of the administration's efforts to address the disproportionate impacts of environmental hazards facing communities near chemical plants. These are low-income, low-income, primarily black or Latino regions where the proportion of asthma, cancer and other health problems is rising.
Update some regulations governing emissions from chemical plants. Some of these have not been closed for nearly 20 years. More than 200 chemical facilities in Texas and Louisiana, as well as the Ohioliver Valley and West Virginia, all have major chemical hubs.
This rule was for the first time considering the cumulative effects of multiple chemical plants on communities within such hubs rather than the effects of a single source of contamination.
Companies need to strictly strengthen their controls and processes to limit chemical emissions. You will also need to monitor chimneys and hole holes in your manufacturing facility, while also checking whether chemicals are present in the plant's property line. Such fence line monitoring is similar to what is needed for an oil refinery.
However, the chemical industry has raised various concerns about new restrictions, particularly with regard to ethylene oxide, saying it is being used in a variety of products, such as batteries for electric vehicles. Sterilizing medical devices is also essential, according to the Food and Drug Administration.
In a statement Saturday, American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers CEO Chet Thompson called Biden-era rules “illegal, irrational and technically unachievable” and added that they “put critical US manufacturing operations at risk.”
Vicki Patton, an adviser to the Environmental Defense Fund, said the Trump administration “opened the backdoors to avoid complying with reasonable restrictions on the most toxic air pollution.”
American families “have to worry about their loved ones breathing dirty air, their children missed school days, their lives sick due to toxic contamination, and more cancers in their families,” she said.
The latest move is part of the Trump administration's efforts to move the EPA away from its original role in environmental protection and regulation. Zeldin describes the agency's new mission as reducing costs for car purchases, heating and operating companies, and promoting control of America's energy.
Last month, the administration stopped a federal lawsuit against a chemical manufacturer accused of releasing high levels of chloroprene (presumably carcinogenic substances) from plants in Louisiana.
