Community groups and national environmental organizations are suing the administration for giving chemical plants a break from rules meant to prevent toxic and cancer-causing pollution.

The lawsuit focuses on the White House’s executive orders in July giving 50 plants a two-year break from Biden-era rules that increases restrictions on emissions of carcinogenic air toxins like ethylene oxide and chloroprene. When the Biden EPA finalized the rule in 2024, it said it would reduce cancer risks from these plants in neighboring communities by 96 percent.

Plaintiffs in the lawsuit include frontline groups like RISE St. James of Louisiana, Texas Environmental Justice Advocacy Services, and Air Alliance Houston, along with national groups like Earthjustice, the Sierra Club, Natural Resources Defense Council, and the Environmental Integrity Project.