The Trump Administration is giving more petrochemical plants a break from rules meant to better control hazardous and carcinogenic air pollution.

On July 13, two days before the first deadlines for companies to comply with 2024 rules on hazardous air pollution, President Donald Trump issued his second proclamation exempting chemical manufacturers, adding 20 more facilities to the list of 53 chemical manufacturers exempted last year, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council.

The EPA had given most facilities until between July 2026 and July 2027 to meet the hazardous air pollution rule’s requirements. The regulations say that plants must install better pollution controls and lower emissions to meet certain pollution thresholds. Companies must also install air pollution monitors for six known carcinogens – benzene, 1,3-butadiene, ethylene dichloride, vinyl chloride, ethylene oxide, and chloroprene – along their fence lines to protect people living nearby.  

But in March 2025, the Trump Administration offered to help heavily polluting facilities avoid the regulations. Trump’s EPA had even set up a mailbox to receive the email requests and offered a step-by-step guide explaining how industries could qualify.