Centrist Democrats urge Biden to relax air toxics rules, citing steel industry’s competitiveness and minimal environmental gains.

A group of centrist Democratic senators is urging the White House to abandon stricter air toxics regulations that primarily affect traditional steelmakers. The senators argue that the rules pose a threat to steel industry’s global economic competitiveness while providing minimal environmental benefits. They also urge the administration to work with steelmakers and labor to achieve feasible regulations that preserve American steel’s economic competitiveness. This move could potentially conflict with President Joe Biden’s commitment to preserving traditional unionized manufacturing jobs and reducing pollution’s disproportionate burden on people of color and low-income communities under the umbrella of environmental justice.