Indiana environmental groups are suing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for once again pausing standards to control air pollution at steel mills.
The standards set by the Biden administration aim to address a kind of pollution that isn’t being controlled right now — leaks of toxic heavy metals and fine particles that don't come from a single point like a smoke stack. This pollution puts people living nearby at a greater risk for lung and heart problems as well as certain cancers.
The EPA first put the steel standards on hold for three months. Now they aren’t expected to take effect until April 2027.
This comes after steelmakers told the agency they would have trouble complying with deadlines in the rule.
READ MORE: Report shows living near a steel plant can harm your health, residents hope for change
In a statement, U.S. Steel said it supports regulations that are based on "sound science, available and proven technology, and that consider costs and other non-air quality impacts."
"Unfortunately, the 2024 rule does not meet these criteria. In addition, implementation of the 2024 rule would have come at exorbitant costs and would have provided little, if any, environmental benefit while significantly impacting American jobs and the nation’s critical infrastructure," the company said.
But last year, the EPA estimated the standards would cost steel companies less than 1 percent of their annual revenue. And while the standards would only reduce emissions by about 10 percent, attorney Jim Pew with Earthjustice said it means a lot to the people breathing in that pollution.
Join the conversation and sign up for the Indiana Two-Way. Text "Indiana" to 765-275-1120. Your comments and questions in response to our weekly text help us find the answers you need on climate solutions and climate change at ipbs.org/climatequestions.
Earthjustice is representing the groups Gary Advocates for Responsible Development, Hoosier Environmental Council, the Sierra Club and Just Transition Northwest Indiana in court.
Pew said there's no reason why steelmakers shouldn't be able to comply with the standards — especially since they've had a year to address any concerns with EPA.
“These are not just the standards that require some sort of innovation or something new, or they’re sort of an icing on the cake. These are really basic requirements that EPA should have met a long time ago," he said.
The air pollution standards are one of many rules the EPA vowed to reconsider in March. Pew suspects that's the real reason behind the delay.
“The idea that these protections need to be put off for two years has never been about implementing technology. What it's really about is giving EPA time to get rid of these rules all together," he said.
The lawsuit states the EPA also didn’t provide the public with notice of the two-year stay or time to comment on it. The agency refused to provide anyone for an interview.
Rebecca is our energy and environment reporter. Contact her at rthiele@iu.edu or on Signal at IPBenvironment.01. Follow her on Twitter at @beckythiele.