For the first time in 55 years, Congress has rolled back protections under the Clean Air Act, according to The Washington Post — and one community could be hit particularly hard if major polluters spew toxic pollution with little accountability.
What's happening?
On May 1, the Senate voted 52-46 to overturn an Environmental Protection Agency regulation requiring "major" sources of seven hazardous air pollutants — including industrial facilities, chemical plants, and oil refineries — to limit emissions even if they later were reclassified.
The rule, passed in September, was a partial restoration of a Clinton administration "once in, always in" policy (informally revoked in 2018 before its official rollback in 2020) that required facilities once classified as a "major source" of 187 pollutants to adhere to strict emissions requirements, regardless of whether they took steps to reduce pollution, per the Post.
However, business groups have criticized the emissions standards as burdensome.
Following the 2024 election, the National Association of Manufacturers wrote to President Donald Trump to argue that "regulations are strangling our economy," noting that manufacturers were spending nearly $350 billion each year in compliance costs.
Sen. John Curtis (R-Utah) sponsored the bill and introduced it under the Congressional Review Act, which allowed policymakers to expedite the regulatory process.
Why is this important?
While working toward a cleaner future does cost money, the price of not doing so may be even more expensive for the country in the long run.
A 2021 study by the Natural Resources Defense Council found that health costs associated with dirty fuel-generated pollution — and the subsequent rise of global temperatures — reached upward of $820 billion each year.
"Repealing this rule would be such a giveaway to corporate polluters," Nathan Park, an associate legislative representative at Earthjustice, told the Post. "These facilities could increase their toxic pollution without any accountability or oversight."
Descendants Project co-director Jo Banner, who co-founded the nonprofit, worried that her majority-Black parish in Louisiana could be hit particularly hard. St. John the Baptist Parish is situated in "Cancer Alley" — an 85-mile stretch with unusually high rates of the disease.
TCD Picks » Upway Spotlight
💡Upway makes it easy to find discounts of up to 60% on premium e-bike brands
|
Do you worry about air pollution in and around your home? Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. |
Yes — always 💯 "Any time the wind shifts, all of this pollution is coming over to our community," Banner told the Post of a nearby oil refinery and aluminum plant. "This impacts our community first and worst."
What's being done about this?
Disagreements over once in, always in-related policies have been ongoing since 1995, as the Post noted. For its part, NAM, which represents 14,000 companies, suggested to the publication that weakening emissions regulations would incentivize companies to reduce pollution — a sentiment Curtis shared.
"EPA's current rule eliminates any incentive for major polluters to deploy new technologies to clean up. It effectively told the worst emitters, 'Don't worry about coming into compliance — you will never be reclassified.' That's backwards," Curtis said.
However, proponents of the emissions standards told the Post the rules are what spurred more than 1,800 facilities to clean up their act in the first place, leading to a reduction in pollution that is associated with cancer and brain damage — even when inhaled in small amounts.
You can make your voice heard on these issues by contacting your representatives. More broadly, supporting brands committed to eco-friendly initiatives is one way to use your purchasing power to communicate that it pays to invest in a cleaner future.
Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Cool Picks
