EPA Rollback Threatens Landmark Air Toxics Safeguards for Gulf Coast Communities

The Biden-era HON rule, which tightened limits on hazardous air pollutants from over 200 petrochemical plants, is being dismantled under the Trump administration through dozens of temporary exemptions and a planned rewrite. Communities in Louisiana's Cancer Alley, who fought for decades for these protections, now face renewed exposure to chemicals like benzene and ethylene oxide. All nine air toxics rules issued by the previous administration have been rescinded, revised, or reconsidered.

The HON rule targeted six specific hazardous pollutants—ethylene oxide, chloroprene, benzene, ethylene dichloride, vinyl chloride, and 1,3-butadiene—requiring both equipment upgrades and fenceline monitoring at more than 200 facilities. The rule emerged from decades of community activism in the 85-mile industrial corridor between New Orleans and Baton Rouge, where residents in St. John the Baptist Parish face cancer risks nearly 50 times the national average, with Black communities bearing disproportionate exposure.

Since the administration change, more than 70 temporary exemptions have been granted to petrochemical facilities, and all nine air toxics rules from the previous administration have been rescinded, revised, or placed under reconsideration. A formal rewrite of the HON rule is expected this fall, with the new version widely anticipated to weaken the original protections significantly.