Battle lines have formed over Clean Air Act policies that could prolong regulatory fights dating back to President Donald Trump’s first term.
An opening broadside came last month when the National Association of Manufacturers posted a lengthy letter to Trump calling on his administration to roll back or revisit a variety of air rules, among others.
“Right now, regulations are strangling our economy,” said the letter, which was also signed by the American Iron and Steel Institute, National Mining Association, and dozens of other state and national trade groups.
The coalition’s wish list asks Trump to ease the ambient air quality standard for soot that was significantly tightened last year; replace greenhouse gas limits for existing coal-fired power plants and new natural gas-fired facilities with “workable standards”; and scrap a proposed technical change to the New Source Review program, which aims to ensure that factory expansions and other industrial projects don’t worsen air quality.
