Overview

• Four presidential proclamations issued July 18 provide two-year waivers letting covered sites revert to pre-2021 emissions standards
• Exemptions apply to coal-fired power plants, taconite iron ore processors, chemical manufacturers, oil refineries and about 40 medical device sterilization facilities
• The proclamations lift requirements to reduce emissions of mercury, nickel, arsenic, lead, ethylene oxide and chloroprene
• An EPA portal launched in March let companies petition for these Clean Air Act exemptions by arguing unavailable technology or essential national security operations
• Environmental and health groups warn the waivers will increase toxic pollution linked to cancer, birth defects and respiratory illnesses and have pledged legal challenges