Trump administration pulls back on plans to rewrite Biden-era asbestos ban

By MICHAEL PHILLIS and ALEXA ST JOHN Associated Press WASHINGTON AP The Trump administration is dropping plans to allow continued use of the last type of asbestos legally allowed in U S manufacturing after an outcry from asbestos opponents The Environmental Protection Agency announced in a court filing Monday that it will now defend the Biden administration s ban of chrysotile asbestos which is used in products like brake blocks and sheet gaskets The carcinogenic chemical has been mostly phased out in the U S but last year the agency under former President Joe Biden sought to finish the decadeslong fight with a comprehensive ban The EPA in declared exposure to asbestos is known to cause lung cancer mesothelioma ovarian cancer and laryngeal cancer and it is linked to more than deaths in the U S each year Related Articles Noem says first responders in Texas still looking for a lot of little girls missing after flood Trump Media files for Crypto Blue Chip ETF with SEC A look at the countries that received Trump s tariff letters held in Texas immigration detention center shooting that was planned ambush US attorney says Pastors who endorse political candidates shouldn t lose tax-exempt status IRS says in filing The EPA had declared in a federal appeals court filing last month that parts of the ban may have gone beyond what is necessary to eliminate the unreasonable jeopardy and that other options such as requiring workplace protection measures might eliminate that exposure The agency declared it planned a roughly -month process to write new rules But industry associations have already filed suit against the Biden administration s ban So has the Asbestos Sickness Awareness Organization which fights asbestos-related diseases and believes the ban isn t as airtight as it demands to be The nonprofit opposed pausing the matter so the EPA could revisit the rule arguing that any new proposal would likely be met by lawsuits too All the work that s gone into the current litigation shouldn t be wasted the nonprofit declared And a pause would also mean a delay in the rule s implementation Lynn Ann Dekleva the agency s deputy assistant administrator of the Office of Chemical Safety and Defilement Prevention disclosed in a Monday filing that the EPA won t go through a process to rewrite the rule The EPA now says the Biden administration failed to adequately protect chemical industry workers from fitness risks posed by chrysotile asbestos To remedy the previous Administration s approach we notified the court that we intend to reconsider the applicability of interim workplace protection requirements during the replacement of asbestos gaskets for all workers EPA Press Secretary Brigit Hirsch announced in a declaration Linda Reinstein president and CEO of the Asbestos Affection Awareness Organization mentioned she was elated the EPA isn t going to reconsider the Biden administration s ban She speculated that the EPA didn t like populace reaction to its position But she declared the EPA s new comment doesn t make sense the EPA should be talking about a ban not workplace protections and it should be protecting all workers not just those involved with gaskets The New York Times was first to analysis the improvement Chrysotile asbestos is detected in products such as brake blocks asbestos diaphragms and sheet gaskets and was banned under the Toxic Substances Control Act which was broadened in The Biden administration stated it moved forward with a ban after decades of inadequate protections and delays in setting better standards The EPA s previous move to reconsider the ban had been among dozens of deregulatory actions in the first months of the Trump administration This is just the beginning of the masses backlash against the Trump administration s plans to roll back standards that protect the air we breathe and the water we drink mentioned Michelle Roos executive director of the Environmental Protection Framework General fitness is not up for negotiation The American Chemistry Council exchange group declined to comment St John released from Detroit The Associated Press receives promotion from the Walton Family Foundation for coverage of water and environmental guidelines The AP is solely responsible for all content For all of AP s environmental coverage visit https apnews com hub climate-and-environment