EPA Acts After MSCI, NAM Request Reconsideration Of Burdensome Rules

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced it will begin a large-scale review of dozens of regulations, including power plant emissions rules and a rule to expand the scope of the Clean Water Act.

The decision came after the National Association of Manufacturers, the Metals Service Center Institute, and more than 100 other organizations sent a letter requesting the review to the Trump transition team in December 2024. That letter, available at this link, specifically asked the EPA to:

• Reconsider and relax the Biden administration’s National Ambient Air Quality Standards for Particulate Matter rule;
• Replace the EPA’s rule for existing coal-fired and new natural gas–fired power plants with workable standards;
• Ensure regulatory decision-making under the Clean Water Act fully conforms with the Supreme Court’s bright-line jurisdictional test;
• Provide the long-term regulatory certainty to the U.S. auto sector requires to meet all facets of customer demand while continuing to lead in innovation and emissions reduction; and
• Reconsider the Ethylene Oxide National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants rule.

The Associated Press explains these rules and the others the EPA will review at this link.

“These historic actions will roll back trillions in regulatory costs and hidden ‘taxes’ on U.S. families. As a result of these announcements … [it] will be more affordable to bring manufacturing into local communities while individuals widely benefit from the tangible economic impacts,” the EPA said in a press release. “These actions will create American jobs, including incredible progress to bring back American auto jobs.” While last week’s news is a positive move for the manufacturing and metals industries, these actions also are likely to be challenged in federal court — and, even if they are not, the rules will take months to reconsider and rewrite. Stay tuned to Connecting the Dots to get the latest news on regulatory reform and compliance matters.