As part of the Trump administration's to peel back environmental regulations that it has deemed overly burdensome, it is now going after the "once in, always in" policy that is part of the Clean Air Act and that deals with more than 200 pollutants such as mercury, arsenic and lead.According to EPA, it had received multiple requests from both states and industry to rescind the once-in, always in provision. But two US senators from prominent committees ignited the discussion after wring to the EPA and asking it to do away with the rule. They said that businesses remained stuck inside the statute even if they improved operations and that this hurt their ability to compete. They also said it would not lead to greater emissions.
“The EPA’s decision today is consistent with President Trump’s agenda to keep America’s air clean and our economy growing,” Senator John Barrasso of Wyoming said in a statement. “Withdrawal of this policy means manufacturers, oil and gas operations, and other types of industrial facilities will have greater incentive to reduce emissions. Now these companies can help protect the environment without wasting time and money on unnecessary red tape.”
Environmentalists counter that this move is the latest by the Trump administration to remove meaningful rules meant to protect the public's health and well-being.
“This is among the most dangerous actions that the Trump EPA has taken yet against public health. Rolling back longstanding protections to allow the greatest increase in hazardous air pollutants in our nation’s history is unconscionable," John Walke, clean air director at the Natural Resources Defense Council said in a prepared statement.
