Overview
- The proclamation, issued under Clean Air Act section 112(i)(4), extends all Copper Rule compliance deadlines for the listed source by two years and keeps it under pre‑rule standards during that period.
- Annex I identifies Freeport-McMoRan’s Miami Smelter in Arizona as the affected facility receiving the temporary relief.
- The Copper Rule finalized in May 2024 tightened federal limits on hazardous pollutants including lead, arsenic, mercury, benzene, and dioxins at primary copper smelters.
- The administration argues that enforcing the new standards could force closures in a sector with only two U.S. smelters, located in Arizona and Utah and operated by Freeport-McMoRan and Rio Tinto.
- The move aligns with earlier steps designating copper as a critical material, launching a Section 232 review, and imposing a 50% tariff on certain copper imports.