Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) News

Welcome to your environmental update. The EPA just announced it delivered five hundred environmental wins during President Trump's first year back in the White House, marking a significant shift in the agency's regulatory direction. But what does that really mean for you, your community, and your wallet?

Over the past year, the EPA has prioritized environmental deregulation, and that momentum is accelerating into 2026. According to recent reporting from Chemical and Engineering News, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin announced in March that the agency would review thirty-one regulatory actions for possible rollback. The agency is working hard to develop policies they say will make these rules more durable.

Here's where it gets consequential. One of the EPA's biggest targets is rescinding the 2009 endangerment finding, the scientific foundation underlying most federal climate rules. Former acting EPA Deputy Administrator Stan Meiburg warned that the current research supporting climate change is actually even stronger now than when this finding was originally established, and it has already withstood multiple legal challenges. Yet the current administration is moving forward anyway.

The EPA is also delaying vehicle emission standards. The agency plans to keep 2026 standards in place for another two years, giving themselves more time to reconsider two Biden era rules covering light and medium duty vehicles plus the Clean Trucks Plan that required cuts to nitrogen oxide emissions from heavy duty engines.

Here's the interesting twist. While the Trump administration pushes deregulation, the chemical industry actually wants to keep the endangerment finding. According to Bracewell consulting, chemical companies, though originally skeptical of the finding, have already incorporated required changes into their operations and fear the uncertainty of another major shift.

For everyday Americans, vehicle emission delays could mean slower progress on air quality improvements. For businesses, the uncertainty around climate regulations creates planning challenges, though energy and industrial sectors may see reduced compliance costs. States face questions about how to maintain their own environmental standards.

The EPA is also expanding investigations into illegal pesticide and chemical smuggling to protect national security and agricultural integrity, marking one area where enforcement is actually intensifying.

Watch for final rules on greenhouse gas emissions standards likely coming in early 2026. The House may also pass permitting reform bills like the SPEED Act and PERMIT Act, which could reshape how infrastructure projects get approved.

For more details, visit EPA dot gov or check your state environmental agency's website. Your voice matters. Public comment periods on proposed rules are your chance to weigh in.

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# EPA Under New Direction: What You Need to Know

Welcome to this week's environmental update. If you've been paying attention to what's happening at the EPA, things are shifting dramatically, and these changes could affect everything from the air you breathe to the infrastructure projects being built in your community.

The biggest story this week centers on the EPA's fundamental approach to how it evaluates pollution rules. The agency announced it will no longer assign a dollar value to the health benefits of clean air. According to reporting from ABC News, the EPA previously calculated how many lives would be saved and illnesses prevented by reducing pollution, but that calculation is now being stripped away. Administrator Lee Zeldin says the agency will still consider health impacts, but critics worry this change makes it far easier to roll back protections. Environmental experts argue this is reckless given mountains of medical science linking air pollution to asthma, heart disease, and other serious health problems.

This move is just one piece of a larger puzzle. The EPA is also proposing to repeal the 2009 endangerment finding, the scientific determination that greenhouse gas emissions threaten public health and welfare. That single finding underpins virtually every federal climate regulation. According to the Chemical Heritage Foundation's reporting, even some in the chemical industry have expressed concern about this potential repeal, as many companies have already restructured their operations around current climate rules.

On the water front, the EPA just proposed changes to Clean Water Act Section 401 that would significantly limit states' and tribes' ability to block projects that threaten water quality. The agency says this streamlines permitting for critical infrastructure, but the Environmental Protection Network argues it strips away state rights and empowers polluters instead.

The EPA also received an 8.8 billion dollar budget from the Senate, though that represents a 47 percent cut from the previous year. According to Waste Dive, funding will support Superfund cleanups and some PFAS research, but the reduced budget signals tighter constraints ahead.

What does this mean for you? Low-income and minority communities typically face higher exposure to air pollution and could see their health risks increase. Businesses may see fewer regulatory hurdles, but environmental groups warn about potential liability issues down the road. State and local governments are losing tools to protect their own waterways.

The next critical moment arrives when these proposed rules move into formal comment periods. If you want your voice heard, now is the time to engage with these proposals.

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Welcome to your weekly EPA update, listeners. This week, the biggest headline is EPA's proposed rule to overhaul Clean Water Act Section 401, aiming to slash permitting delays for energy and infrastructure projects by curbing states' ability to block them over non-water issues. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said, "Today's proposal restores the Clean Water Act to its intended purpose, protecting America's water quality and ending the weaponization of the law that has been obstructing infrastructure and energy projects vital to our nation's economy."

Key moves include a $1.1 million settlement with Home Market Foods over a deadly 2022 ammonia leak in Massachusetts, holding polluters accountable. EPA also proposed limiting states' power to veto oil and gas pipelines, proposed delisting 2-BEB from hazardous air pollutants, and set a strict 20 micrograms per liter goal for perchlorate in drinking water. They're pushing to delay Biden-era vehicle emission rules for 2027 models, giving more review time, while advancing pesticide fee deadlines—due January 15—and expanding imports enforcement against illegal chemicals.

For Americans, this means faster jobs from projects but potential risks if safeguards weaken—think cleaner water targets versus looser air rules. Businesses cheer streamlined permits unleashing growth, as Zeldin notes, though chemical firms worry about repealing the 2009 climate endangerment finding they've adapted to. States lose some veto power, shifting balance to feds. No big international ripples yet.

Experts like former EPA deputy Stan Meiburg warn rescinding climate findings ignores stronger science. Watch early 2026 peer reviews on ten toxic chemicals and public comments on Section 401.

Citizens, submit comments via EPA.gov on the 401 rule—your voice shapes it. For details, hit epa.gov/newsreleases.

Next, track vehicle standards delays and TSCA evaluations. Tune in next week, subscribe now, and thanks for listening. This has been a Quiet Please production, for more check out quietplease.ai.

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Good morning listeners, welcome to our environmental policy briefing. We're starting with a major development that could reshape how the EPA regulates chemicals across America. The Trump administration's Environmental Protection Agency is moving forward with sweeping deregulatory actions in 2026, and they're just getting started.

The most significant headline this week involves the EPA's push to rescind the 2009 endangerment finding, which is the scientific foundation underlying federal climate regulations. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin announced in March that the agency would review thirty-one regulatory actions for possible rollback. According to recent reporting, the agency is finalizing a rule expected in early 2026 that would overturn this endangerment finding, along with rolling back vehicle emission standards that the Biden administration put in place.

Here's what this means for listeners. The EPA is planning to delay stricter emission rules for light and medium duty vehicles and reconsider the Clean Trucks Plan that required cuts to nitrogen oxide emissions from heavy duty engines. The agency will keep current 2026 standards in place for another two years, buying time to reconsider those existing standards.

Interestingly, not everyone in industry supports this move. According to environmental law experts, the chemical industry generally wants to keep the endangerment finding intact. Many chemical companies disagreed with the original finding but have already incorporated required changes into their processes, so repealing it would create uncertainty and cost them additional compliance headaches.

Beyond climate rules, the EPA is tackling other major regulatory changes. The agency proposed broad PFAS reporting exemptions under the Toxic Substances Control Act, introducing industry-requested exemptions while narrowing who must report. There's a catch though—the reporting window is being compressed from six months to just three months beginning sixty days after the final rule takes effect. This means companies with complex supply chains need to prepare immediately.

On the chemical front, the EPA announced final risk evaluations for five phthalate chemicals. The agency found unreasonable risks primarily to workers through inhalation during spray applications and manufacturing, but determined that consumer exposure levels do not pose unreasonable risks. This means regulation will focus on workplace protections rather than consumer product restrictions.

Additionally, listeners should know that confidential business information claims made under the Toxic Substances Control Act are expiring this year. If your company filed a CBI claim in 2016, it will expire in 2026 unless you reassert and substantiate it. The EPA will begin notifying companies of expiring claims beginning in spring 2026.

What should you watch for next? The final rules on the endangerment finding and vehicle emissions standards should arrive in early 2026. If you work in industries affected by these changes or care about environmental policy, now is the time to engage with the regulatory process. Visit the EPA's website to learn more about upcoming rulemakings and public comment opportunities.

Thank you for tuning in to this environmental policy briefing. Please subscribe for more updates on how government decisions impact your life and business. This has been a Quiet Please production. For more, check out quietplease dot ai.

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The headline this week from the Environmental Protection Agency is its continued push to roll back major climate and air pollution protections, while Congress moves to cut the agency’s budget back to roughly 2012 levels when you factor in inflation, according to reporting from the Center for Biological Diversity and Chemical and Engineering News.

Chemical and Engineering News reports that EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin is prioritizing repealing the 2009 “endangerment finding” that says greenhouse gases threaten public health and welfare, the scientific backbone for many federal climate rules. EPA officials say they are reviewing public comments now and aim to move forward in 2026 with a rule that could gut EPA’s authority to regulate climate pollution from cars, trucks, and power plants. A senior EPA air official, Aaron Szabo, has already signaled plans to delay tougher Biden-era vehicle emission standards for cars and heavy-duty trucks, keeping 2026 standards in place longer and giving industry more time.

At the same time, an EPA budget bill just passed by Congress would trim the agency’s funding by about 4 percent compared with last year, which environmental advocates say effectively returns EPA to 2012 funding levels once inflation is counted. That means fewer resources for inspections, enforcement, and community protection at exactly the moment when the agency is being asked to reconsider major safeguards on power plants, oil and gas operations, and toxic pollution.

For everyday Americans, these moves could mean more soot and smog in the air they breathe and slower action on climate-fueled heatwaves, floods, and wildfires. Businesses that invested early in cleaner technologies may now be competing with companies that can pollute more cheaply if rules are weakened, while heavily regulated industries see short-term cost relief but face long-term legal and policy uncertainty. State and local governments, many of which have set their own climate and air quality goals, may find themselves filling gaps if federal protections retreat, or tangled in court fights over whose rules control. Internationally, efforts to unwind climate regulations and the core endangerment finding risk undercutting U.S. credibility in global climate negotiations.

Looking ahead, listeners should watch for EPA’s final decisions on the endangerment finding, vehicle standards, and power plant rules, all expected to move in early to mid-2026, along with how the new budget shapes enforcement on the ground. To engage, listeners can submit comments on EPA proposals through regulations.gov when dockets open, attend local EPA listening sessions and Superfund open houses, and press their elected officials about how these shifts will affect health and climate resilience in their communities.

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