Rhode Island Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, the top Democrat on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, is adding his weight behind litigation against giving 50 chemical plants and refineries more time to comply with stronger EPA air toxics rules.
The exemptions granted by President Donald Trump last year are “plainly at odds” with Congress’ goal of protecting Americans “from the most dangerous air pollutants,” Whitehouse wrote a friend of court brief this week in litigation pending before the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
“The court,” Whitehouse added, “is not powerless to prevent such absurdity.”
The suit, brought last fall by Texas Environmental Justice Advocacy Services and nine other groups, contested Trump’s decision to give the 50 plants another two years to meet the stronger regulations issued in 2024.
