The New York Times, on Climate, 24 October 2026

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5 Takeaways From Our Investigation of Trump’s Waivers for Polluters

No framing issues found.

They are among the biggest sources of cancer-causing pollution in the United States: chemical manufacturers, steel-making plants, facilities that sterilize medical devices. In 2024, they were required to take steps to reduce their toxic emissions. That all changed when President Trump returned to office and gave them a pass. It was the biggest presidential intervention in the Clean Air Act since the bedrock environmental law was enacted more than 50 years ago.

Mr. Trump has gone further than any president in dismantling regulations designed to protect the environment, resulting in dirtier air and water. Even so, his aid to specific polluters stands out. To understand these efforts, The New York Times reviewed more than 10,000 pages of government documents and conducted more than 70 interviews. Here are five takeaways from our investigation. Mr. Trump issued more than 200 waivers to some of the worst polluters.

Mr. Trump exempted 202 facilities in 39 states and Puerto Rico from new regulations that the Environmental Protection Agency had adopted during the Biden administration. The new rules came about because the Clean Air Act requires the E.P.A. to periodically study the latest pollution controls and impose them if they are affordable and effective. We are having trouble retrieving the article content. Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.

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About this analysis

The New York Times sets out the first takeaways from its investigation into President Trump's waivers exempting 202 polluting facilities from Clean Air Act rules adopted under the Biden administration. It names who granted the waivers, gives specific figures and explains why the rules existed. The text we have breaks off after the first takeaway because of a paywall, and nothing in what remains misleads the reader.

What it gets right

  • “Trump exempted 202 facilities in 39 states and Puerto Rico from new regulations that the Environmental Protection Agency had adopted during the Biden administration.”

    The Times names who acted and gives exact, checkable figures for the scale of the exemptions instead of a vague claim.

  • “the Clean Air Act requires the E.P.A. to periodically study the latest pollution controls and impose them if they are affordable and effective”

    The article tells the reader what the waived rules were for and why the law demanded them, so the exemptions are not presented as pure removal of red tape.

  • “reviewed more than 10,000 pages of government documents and conducted more than 70 interviews”

    The Times tells the reader the basis of its findings, which lets them weigh the investigation's claims.

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