Trump reverses Biden-era rules on copper smelters

U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday reversed a Biden-era air pollution rule that had imposed stricter limits on emissions from copper smelters.



The copper rule, finalized in May 2024, had required smelters to curb pollutants including lead, arsenic, mercury, benzene and dioxins under updated federal air standards.



Trump's proclamation grants a two-year exemption from compliance for affected stationary sources, which the White House said would help promote American mineral security by reducing regulatory burdens on domestic copper producers.



"Imposing these requirements on such a limited and already strained domestic industry risks accelerating further closures, weakening the Nation's industrial base, undermining mineral independence, and increasing reliance on foreign-controlled processing capacity," the White House said in announcing the changes.



The proclamation specifically referenced the only two copper smelters in the United States, one operated by Freeport-McMoRan and the other by Rio Tinto. It stated the order would apply to Freeport’s smelter, but it was not immediately clear how it would affect Rio Tinto’s facility.