Just one year after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency finalized amendments to the New Source Performance Standards that apply to the Synthetic Organic Chemical Manufacturing Industry (SOCMI) and amendments to the National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) that apply to the SOCMI (more commonly referred to as the Hazardous Organic NESHAP or HON) and Group I and II Polymers and Resins Industries, President Trump granted a two-year exemption from compliance obligations in section 112 of the HON Rule.
EPA prepped industry on its intentions to follow the Trump administration’s lead on deregulation March 12, 2025, when it announced 31 significant actions resulting in the “biggest deregulatory” measure ever. One of those rollbacks included reconsideration of multiple NESHAPs affecting a broad range of American industrial sectors. During the March announcement frenzy, Zeldin noted the Trump administration’s intention for a two-year compliance exemption via Section 112(i)(4) of the Clean Air Act for affected facilities while EPA goes through the rulemaking process.
“EPA is moving forward with the reconsideration of a number of air rules that cover nearly every sector of the American economy. During this review, we will ensure the appropriate protections for human health and the environment based on the best record possible. Breathing clean air, living on clean land, and drinking clean water are all shared goals while we also do our part to usher in a Golden Age of American success,” said Zeldin in a March 12 news release.
Regarding the July 18, 2025, announcement of the two-year exemption, the American Chemistry Council (ACC) issued a statement saying the President’s action appropriately recognizes the critical role of a strong chemical manufacturing sector to our nation’s overall infrastructure and advanced manufacturing needs across supply chains. As such, this action is a key step forward to necessary relief from several concerning parts of the Biden administration’s rule, which required significant capital expenditures and risked potential shutdowns with unworkable compliance deadlines.
“We thank Administrator Zeldin for bringing this important issue to the White House and applaud the President for granting these exemptions and recognizing the need to address one of the most serious problems inherent to the updated HON Rule, as it was adopted by the previous administration.
“Without relief from these unworkable timelines, the HON rule jeopardizes the production of essential chemistries that are crucial for our national security interests, including public health and economic security, as they are used for countless everyday products and critical industries such as agriculture, healthcare, semiconductor manufacturing, and more.
“As our members continue to strengthen their environmental and safety performance, they are also responding to the need for innovative products that will help make our nation safer and cleaner. To successfully meet these responsibilities, it is critical that regulation of our industry is based on sound science and that those regulations reflect a reasonable assessment of the risks and benefits involved. We look forward to working expeditiously with EPA to support appropriate, science-based regulatory frameworks for this important work.”
In her April Compliance Advisor column for Chemical Processing, which discussed EPA’s March 12 announcements, Lynn L. Bergeson stated: “Disruption on this scale invites vigorous and often unanticipated consequences. It remains to be seen if deregulation on this scale aligns with what the regulated community anticipated and whether it will achieve the intended result.”
