Employers Can Make Their Voices Heard On EPA Soot Proposal

As Connecting the Dots reported last month, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed a rule to tighten limits on fine particle pollution, or soot, which largely comes from burning fossil fuels. The proposed rule would limit how much of the pollutant can be in the air on average to a concentration of somewhere between nine and 10 micrograms per cubic meter annually — down from 12 micrograms under a previous standard that was put into place by the Trump administration.

The EPA is also considering looser standards of up to 11 micrograms per cubic meter and stricter standards of as low as eight micrograms per cubic meter.

The agency is accepting public comments on the rule until mid-March, but there are other ways that the business community can make its voice heard on this matter — and it is important that companies speak up.

For years, the manufacturing and metals industries have been developing smart, innovative ways to use energy, water, and other resources more sustainably — all while boosting economic growth and creating good jobs.

The new regulations proposed by the EPA could be devastating for companies and for the climate by:

• Draining resources from innovative manufacturers and imposing additional hurdles to the investment in research and development that fuels progress in energy efficiency and climate action;
• Making permitting harder, which also would jeopardize new clean energy projects that the United States needs to address climate change; and
• Hindering the reshoring of U.S. jobs, which will lead to less clean manufacturing in the United States.

Rather than imposing new and unnecessary obligations on manufacturers, the federal government should focus on enforcing the strong regulations that are already in place and give manufacturers the space to find better solutions.

The business community, led by the National Association of Manufacturers, is rallying to speak out against the EPA’s proposal and also is calling on Congress to oppose these harmful regulations. The industrial metals community can support this effort by sending an email to decisionmakers in Washington, explaining the real impact this damaging proposal would have on industrial metals companies and climate and urging them to stand up against unnecessary regulations. Click here to do so.

The EPA also will hold a public hearing discuss the proposal on Tuesday, February 21, 2023. The deadline to register is Thursday, February 16, 2023. Click here to sign up to be part of that event.