The White House regulations office has completed an unusually speedy review of a draft EPA update to air toxics standards for some chemical makers that could test the incoming Trump administration’s willingness to confront the risks posed by a dangerous carcinogen.
The White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs sent the proposed rule back to EPA on Monday, barely a month after receiving it, according to a government tracking website.
The proposed update covers standards for what are technically known as chemical manufacturing area sources, an umbrella grouping that includes some pesticide-makers, plastics manufacturers and pharmaceutical companies.
It follows a statutorily required review geared to exploring whether technological advances provide a path to tighten standards on their emissions of ethylene oxide, which EPA classifies as a carcinogen, or dozens of other hazardous air pollutants. The last such assessment ended in 2012.
