Donald Trump Gives More Passes to Big Polluters

Washington, D.C. - Last night, Donald Trump's Environmental Protection Agency exemptedmore big polluters from lifesaving EPA guardrails.

In his announcement, Donald Trump exempted 53 plants from standards that curb emissions of ethylene oxide, chloroprene and other toxic gases, eight taconite processing facilities that prepare iron-bearing rock for steelmaking from the first-of-its-kind standard to limit mercury emissions, and exempted three more coal plants from Mercury and Air Toxics Standards.

In April, Donald Trump and Lee Zeldin exempted68 coal-fired power plants from MATS, allowing these massive polluting plants to release even more toxic chemicals into the air. The Sierra Club and other environmental groups suedthe administration for this illegal and deadly action one day after the EPA announced the formal rollbackof this critical safeguard.

In response, Sierra Club Climate Policy Director Patrick Drupp issued the following statement:

"The Trump administration follows a very simple philosophy: if you're a big corporation that puts profit over people, you can have any hall pass you want regardless of how many lives you endanger and how much harm you cause our clean air and water. It is disgusting that Donald Trump and Lee Zeldin are continuing to hand out exemption after exemption from standards that would save lives and prevent illnesses. They have completely betrayed our health, our communities, and our futures in exchange for profits for big polluters. We have already taken action on their treacherous and dangerous actions and we will continue to push back against this disgraceful administration."

About the Sierra Club

The Sierra Club is America's largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit https://www.sierraclub.org.