WASHINGTON—The Environmental Protection Agency is creating higher barriers for regulating the emissions that contribute to climate change, setting new rules that effectively block the federal government from imposing new restrictions on several heavy industries.
The agency, which first introduced a proposal to create the higher bar in August, packaged these new standards in a rule making it issued Tuesday.
The rule, to be published in the Federal Register Wednesday, sets new criteria for what is considered a significant contributor of greenhouse-gas emissions.
In the rule the agency says that determination is required by law and finds that oil and gas producers, refiners, steelmakers and other heavy industries don’t meet the criteria, prohibiting the EPA from regulating their emissions under the Clean Air Act.
Tuesday’s action may not have staying power, however. President-elect Joe Biden’s team has announced plans to freeze and potentially undo any new regulations, such as this one, that are still pending when it takes power next week.
