A slew of fossil-fuel-heavy companies took up EPA’s March offer to get exemptions from tightened Clean Air Act regulations by means of simply submitting an email request, newly released records show.
Applications from oil refiners, coal-fired plants, steel mills and chemical companies, among others, arrived in EPA’s inbox within days of the agency offering to take requests from companies seeking to dodge recently strengthened emission requirements for mercury and other toxic substances.
Records obtained by the Sierra Club through a Freedom of Information Act request and first shared with The New York Times reveal some of the companies that sought exemptions. Requests for the same records from POLITICO’s E&E News are still pending.
The documents provide a window into the behind-the-scenes process the Trump administration is using to claw back regulations for industry. Earlier this month, the White House gave dozens of plants around the country more time to meet EPA regulations intended to cut emissions of air toxics tied to cancer and other serious health problems.
