Federal Government to Reverse Decision on Deferral of Air Pollutant Regulation Enforcement
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced its intention to withdraw a stopgap rule that was granting a break on compliance with strengthened air toxics regulations to a high-polluting coke industry. The interim final rule, released in July last year, has been embedded in the tightened regulations introduced by the Biden administration.
The rule applied to at least 11 coke plants, and as per the EPA's Toxics Release Inventory, the emissions from these plants contain hazardous substances like cyanide compounds, ammonia, and hydrochloric acid. The Toxics Release Inventory reveals that emissions from coke plants contain harmful substances such as these.
The emissions from coke plants, which are used as blast furnace fuel by the remaining 'integrated' mills that process iron ore into finished steel, may also include cyanide compounds, ammonia, and hydrochloric acid, according to the most recent final numbers from the EPA's Toxics Release Inventory.
The interim final rule delayed other pollution control measures embedded in the tightened regulations released by the Biden administration last year. However, with the decision to withdraw the rule, these measures will likely be enforced.
The decision to withdraw the rule would mark a temporary retreat from the Trump administration's use of procedural shortcuts to aid select industries. The withdrawal would also allow the public a chance to weigh in, which was not allowed under the use of these shortcuts.
It's important to note that the interim final rule gave 11 coke plants until mid-2027 to begin monitoring for cancer-causing benzene around their facilities. However, there is no publicly available information about these 11 coke plants where the EPA has granted monitoring interventions for carcinogenic benzene around the year 2027.
This decision by the EPA underscores its commitment to environmental protection and public health, as it strives to ensure that industries comply with the strictest possible regulations to protect the environment and the public from harmful emissions.
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