"Analysis shows EPA rollbacks of the HON rule would put overburdened communities at risk and benefit chemical plants that frequently violate their permits."
"Late in the Biden administration, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced that it would clamp down on 218 of the nation’s worst chemical polluters, which put close to 10 million people at elevated risk of developing cancer. The EPA’s aim was to reduce that number by more than 1.2 million and improve air quality for high-risk communities by increasing monitoring and strengthening pollution controls at some of the country’s largest chemical plants.
But the regulation that would have set this effort in motion is in jeopardy. In March, the Trump EPA said it would re-evaluate the so-called HON rule—along with other National Emissions Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAPs)—saying the rules placed “unnecessary burdens” on industry. The agency offered companies step-by-step instructions for seeking two-year exemptions from the president, and two industry groups requested blanket exemptions for the 218 chemical plants subject to the HON rule, which covers hazardous organic pollutants.
The White House won’t say whether Trump has granted any such exemptions. But a Public Health Watch analysis has found that any disruption of the HON rule could have severe consequences, protecting polluters that frequently break the law and worsening health risks for already-overburdened communities."
Shelby Jouppi reports for Public Health Watch July 5, 2025 (Copublished with Inside Climate News)
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