A hard-won rule to cut chemical plant pollution is being unraveled
In 2024, the Biden administration enacted wide-ranging regulations to protect communities near petrochemical plants from air toxics. The Trump administration has since granted exemptions to scores of polluting facilities and is working to rewrite the long-awaited rule.
In April 2024, President Joe Biden's Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) chief, Michael Regan, signed a regulation aimed at reducing toxic pollution from petrochemical plants along the lower Mississippi River in Louisiana. The regulation, known as the HON rule, sought to lower emissions of hazardous chemicals like ethylene oxide and vinyl chloride.
Tish Taylor, whose family resides in the region with elevated cancer risks, praised the regulation as "a wonderful gift to generations ahead of us." However, following the second term of President Donald Trump, the HON rule was gradually weakened. In July, Trump issued 20 temporary exemptions, and the EPA announced plans to revise the regulation this fall, which is expected to significantly reduce its protective measures.
The HON rule, standing for Hazardous Organic National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants, mandates the upgrade of pollution control equipment and the installation of air monitors at petrochemical plants' perimeter to measure chemical concentrations and repair emissions that exceed limits.
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