Congressman Cohen and Senator Markey Lead a Letter to EPA Requesting a List of Companies Seeking Presidential Permission to Pollute

WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-9) and Senator Edward Markey of Massachusetts today led 59 Congressional colleagues in a letter to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin requesting a list of companies seeking a Presidential Exemption under the Clean Air Act. The letter also requests information about how the companies claim the exemption would be in the national security interests of the United States, whether technical issues make meeting existing standards difficult, and other details about the companies’ requests. See the letter below.

Congressman Cohen made the following statement:

“The Clean Air Act is a foundational law that protects public health and the environment by regulating air emissions from stationary and mobile sources. While the Act allows for limited exemptions in certain circumstances, it is vital that these exemptions not be granted arbitrarily or behind closed doors — especially when they will result in increased pollution and potentially harm public health.” 

Senator Markey made this statement:

“Rather than protect the health of all Americans by enforcing existing rules and regulations designed to reduce the risk and incidence of cancer caused by air pollution, the Trump administration is instead handing out polluter privilege passes -- opening a VIP lane and an email inbox for coal plants and chemical giants to dodge Clean Air Act rules. Families in fenceline communities don’t get to opt out of breathing mercury, arsenic, and other toxics. These clean air protections save lives -- up to 11,000 every year -- and the public has a right to know who’s trying to dodge them. I’m proud to join Representative Cohen in demanding transparency and accountability. The Clean Air Act was written to protect people, not polluters.”

The letter reads in part:

“We are writing to request a comprehensive list of companies that have requested a Presidential Exemption under the Clean Air Act, as outlined by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on March 24, 2025. Given the EPA’s mission to protect human health and the environment, the Administration’s expressed commitment to transparency, and your own written and oral testimony to the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee during your confirmation hearing, we believe it is imperative that the EPA disclose which companies are seeking to circumvent current environmental regulations.

“We request that you expeditiously provide the names of all companies that requested a presidential exemption under the Clean Air Act and the details of their exemption request, including 1) any emissions standards or limitations subject to the request, facility(ies) and/or affected sources, 2) the length of compliance period being requested, 3) their explanation why the technology to implement the standard is not available, and 4) their explanation why an extension is in the national security interests of the United States. Please also include which of these companies, if any, expressed an intention to submit proprietary information.

“We would also like to know how your agency plans to evaluate and announce which companies are granted a presidential exemption and which applied but are denied. We expect all of this information to be made easily available to the public, as the Trump Administration repeatedly states that it is the ‘most transparent administration in history.’ ”

The lawmakers ask to see the information by Friday, April 18.

See the entire letter here.

The letter request is endorsed by the Center for Biological Diversity, EarthJustice, EcoMadres, the Environmental Defense Fund, the League of Conservation Voters, Moms Clean Air Force, Rise4EJ, the Sierra Club, and the Southern Environmental Law Center.

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