Trump Issues Regulatory Relief for Coal, Chemical Manufacturing, Steel Industry

Biden-era rules enforced stringent emission standards, which the Trump administration says are detrimental to national security.

President Donald Trump speaks alongside coal and energy workers during an executive order signing ceremony in the White House on April 8, 2025. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

President Donald Trump issued four proclamations on July 17, providing regulatory relief for specific industries to undo the “severe burdens” imposed by the Biden administration, according to the White House.

On April 5, 2024, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), under then-President Joe Biden, published a final rule titled National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants: Ethylene Oxide Emissions Standards for Sterilization Facilities Residual Risk and Technology Review.

The document stated that approximately 50 percent of all sterile medical devices in the country are sterilized with ethylene oxide, and using ethylene oxide may be the only method that effectively sterilizes the device without damaging it during the process.

However, there were risks to people living nearby, and the rule addressed these risks by requiring institutions to undertake regulatory measures, such as establishing emission standards and continuous emissions monitoring systems, as well as adding provisions for electronic reporting of performance test results, under the Clean Air Act.

Trump’s proclamation said the rule “risks making critical sterile medical devices unavailable to care for patients in our civilian and military medical systems.”

The proclamation said that the rule may force existing sterilization facilities to close down, resulting in supply disruptions.

Due to the rule undermining national security, the proclamation grants relief from its compliance for companies in the sector and a deadline extension of two years.

On May 7, 2024, the Biden-era EPA published a rule concerning air pollution related to coal and oil-fired electric utility steam generation units. It finalized amendments to the national emission standards for hazardous air pollutants in the sector.

Trump’s proclamation said that the rule required compliance with standards that were premised on technological applications, which do not yet exist in a commercially viable form. This raises the possibility that many coal-fired power plants could shut down, putting the nation’s electrical grid at risk.

The rule requires compliance from July 8, 2027. Trump’s July 17 proclamation gives companies in the sector a two-year extension to comply with the regulation.

The proclamation is in line with Trump’s April 8 executive order that seeks to reinvigorate America’s coal industry, and the current EPA’s efforts to repeal many of the Biden administration’s restrictions on the sector.

On May 16, 2024, the prior EPA administration published a final rule on emission standards in the chemical manufacturing sector.

The rule summary states that organic hazardous air pollutants, such as hydrogen chloride, carbon tetrachloride, chloroprene, and toluene, among others, are used in the production of elastomers.

“Some of these pollutants are considered to be mutagens and carcinogens, and all can cause reversible or irreversible toxic effects following exposure,” said the agency.

The rule was published to establish standards of emissions for these chemicals.

Trump’s latest proclamation states that the rule places substantial burdens on chemical manufacturers, as many of the technologies needed to comply with the regulations are “not practically available” and cannot be implemented under real-world conditions.

Following the rule would disrupt supply chains, increase dependence on foreign producers, and impact the nation’s ability to respond effectively in times of crisis.

Hence, the proclamation grants exemptions to the rule’s compliance for two years and lists the exempted companies.

On March 6, 2024, the Biden-era EPA published a rule related to taconite iron ore processing. A taconite iron ore processing facility separates iron ore from taconite to make taconite pellets. These pellets are used mainly in blast furnaces making steel, and in the cement industry, according to an EPA summary of the rule.

There are harmful acid gases, such as hydrogen chloride and hydrogen fluoride, emitted while the ore is being processed. The final rule seeks to reduce hydrochloric acid emissions by about 72 percent, hydrofluoric acid emissions by about 29 percent, and particulate matter emissions by about 35 percent relative to baseline, said the EPA.

Exposure to such emissions can cause inflammation of the respiratory tract, while prolonged exposure can lead to heart attacks, asthma attacks, and premature death, the agency said at the time.

Trump’s proclamation said that enforcing the rule could lead to factory shutdowns, which would impact domestic capability to produce steel necessary for defense, energy, and critical manufacturing.

“The United States must not allow inflexible regulatory deadlines to jeopardize a material critical to our industrial base. Maintaining this capacity is essential to our national security and economic resilience,” the presidential order said.

Similar to prior proclamations, this order extended the rule deadline by two years and published a list of exempted companies.