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EPA May Ease Regulation of Chemical Plastic Recycling, and Environmentalists Worry
Industry says reclassifying pyrolysis would ease permitting, while environmental groups warn it could weaken federal air protections for facilities handling plastic waste.
- The Environmental Protection Agency is reconsidering whether facilities using pyrolysis to recycle plastic should face the same strict air pollution standards as incinerators, accepting public comments on a potential rule change.
- Industry advocates argue pyrolysis preserves materials rather than destroying them, and they claim to have hit the "jackpot with the Trump administration" after previous Democratic and Republication administrations declined to change the rules.
- John Walke of the Natural Resources Defense Council warned the move would amount to immediate deregulation, creating a gap where no federal emissions standards apply and leaving communities vulnerable to unlimited hazardous air pollution.
- At a public hearing last week, Moms Clean Air Force urged officials to maintain strict regulations, with Georgia state organizer Kiya Stanford testifying the proposal "feels like a move to prioritize polluters over people."
- There are currently six pyrolysis plants operating in states including Ohio and Texas, while more than 90% of plastic waste remains unrecycled, raising concerns the regulatory shift could accelerate facility construction and diminish federal oversight.
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21 Articles
21 Articles
Associated Press News+18 Reposted by 18 other sources
EPA may ease regulation of chemical plastic recycling, and environmentalists worry
The Environmental Protection Agency is reconsidering whether facilities that recycle plastic chemically should be held to the same strict air pollution standards as incinerators.
·United States
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Coverage Details
Total News Sources21
Leaning Left10Leaning Right2Center8Last UpdatedBias Distribution50% Left
Bias Distribution
- 50% of the sources lean Left
50% Left
L 50%
C 40%
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