Trump EPA To Set Rule Making It Harder To Issue New Air Pollution Curbs

"WASHINGTON - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will finalize on Wednesday its overhaul of how it measures the costs and benefits of proposed new curbs on pollution, a move that is likely to sap the agency’s power to impose tough future regulations, according to a source familiar with the process.

The move is among a raft of measures the Trump administration is seeking to finalize before President-elect Joe Biden is inaugurated next month, to shield industry from what it considers historic overreach by environmental regulators under Democratic leadership.

The rule would require the EPA to weigh the economic impact of a proposed rule without factoring secondary public health benefits, which have previously been used to justify expansive regulations, according to the source."

Valerie Volcovici reports for Reuters December 8, 2020.

Source: Reuters, 12/09/2020