【Epoch Times, October 25, 2025】President Donald Trump revoked an air pollution regulation implemented during the Biden era on Friday, October 24th. This regulation imposed stricter emission limits on copper smelters. The White House emphasized that primary copper smelting is a crucial industry for national security and economic resilience.
The revoked regulation for copper smelters was finalized in May 2024. It required smelters to limit emissions of pollutants including lead, arsenic, mercury, benzene, and dioxins based on updated federal air standards.
President Trump’s announcement provided a two-year compliance waiver for affected stationary pollution sources (i.e., copper smelting facilities). The White House stated that this action aimed to reduce regulatory burdens on domestic copper producers, thereby aiding in enhancing US mineral security.
The urgency of implementing the waiver was underscored in the White House’s explanation:
**Compliance Costs and Feasibility:**
The emission standards proposed during the Biden administration presented costly and technologically challenging compliance requirements as the required technologies were not commercially viable or cost-effective.
**National Security Risks:**
Implementing these standards on an already strained domestic industry could hasten further capacity closures, weakening the national industrial base, jeopardizing mineral independence, and increasing dependence on foreign-controlled processing capabilities.
**Avoiding Systemic Risks:**
Without this relief, the US would face unstable power grids, domestic semiconductor input losses, and increased reliance on adversarial nations.
In conclusion, the White House emphasized that President Trump recognized that overly stringent environmental regulations could disrupt the US mineral and metal supply chain, economic vitality, and national security. This exemption ensures continuous operation of copper smelting facilities to support national security.
Currently, there are only two major copper smelters operating in the US, managed by Freeport-McMoRan and Rio Tinto.
The announcement stated that the order would apply to Freeport’s smelter, but the specific impact on Rio Tinto’s facility remains unclear.
Before the revocation of this regulation, the Trump administration had taken a series of actions to safeguard and strengthen the domestic copper industry:
**Identification of Critical Materials:**
Earlier this year, Trump signed an executive order designating copper as a critical material required for defense, infrastructure, and emerging technologies (including clean energy and electric vehicles).
**Initiation of Section 232 Investigation:**
The executive order initiated a Section 232 investigation to determine whether copper imports pose a threat to US national security, particularly due to reliance on a few foreign suppliers.
**Implementation of Protectionist Measures:**
Following a review, the government imposed a 50% tariff on certain imported copper and mandated that an increasing proportion of high-quality domestically produced copper scrap must be sold in the US.
(Reference: Reuters)