President Trump has given free rein to some of the most polluting industries in the country. More than one-third of coal plants, chemical manufacturers, coke ovens, and other facilities have been largely exempted from multiple clean air rules that were put in place to protect communities from the well-documented harms of toxic air pollution.
These exemptions are going to expose people—many of whom are already overburdened by existing pollution, climate hazards, health harms, and social stressors—to more toxic air. Nearly 4.6 million people across 46 US states and Puerto Rico live within two miles of at least one facility deemed eligible for an exemption. Nearly half of the exemption-eligible facilities are in communities that have air pollution-related cancer risks 80 times higher than the US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) guideline.
You can use our interactive map to learn more about what facilities have already been exempted from their Clean Air Act obligations, which facilities are still eligible, and who lives near these facilities.
In this report
