Trump exempts 20 more polluting plants from clean air regulation

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President Trump announced this week that he was exempting 20 more polluting facilities from Biden-era regulations, drawing condemnation from environmental advocates.

Trump signed a proclamation exempting the facilities from a rule that seeks to rein in toxic chemicals.

When it put the rule forward, the Biden administration said it would curb cancer cases within 31 miles of some 200 polluting plants by about 60 percent.

Trump said he was exempting 20 facilities from the Biden-era rule because the technology to implement it is not commercially viable.

He also said that the plants he’s exempting are an “essential” part of the supply chain for infrastructure, manufacturing, medical device sterilization, semiconductors and defense systems.

Environmental advocates issued a press release Thursday criticizing the move, saying it would worsen Americans’ health.

“The Trump administration has once again tried to open a back door for polluters to avoid following basic clean air rules,” said Rosalie Winn, senior director and lead counsel for methane and clean air policy at the Environmental Defense Fund, in a written statement. “These protections are intended to keep people safe from some of the most toxic forms of air pollution. Ripping them away will mean more cancer, more children struggling to breathe and more lives cut short.”

This is not the first time Trump has moved to exempt industry from air pollution rules.  Last year, his administration set up a portal for companies to request exemptions from nine Clean Air Act rules.

Since that time, Trump has made several announcements exempting dozens of polluters including chemical, oil, coal and other facilities from clean air rules.

Separately, he recently pardoned people who were found to have violated the Clean Air Act by tampering with auto emission controls.

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Clean Air Act

Environmental Defense Fund

Joe Biden

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