Administrator Zeldin Takes Action to Prioritize Cooperative Federalism, Improve Air Quality Faster
Trump EPA to clear massive backlog of State Implementation Plans from Biden-Harris Administration as soon as possible
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced its commitment to work with States and Tribes to resolve the massive backlog of State Implementation Plans (SIPs) and Tribal Implementation Plans (TIPs) that the Biden-Harris Administration refused to resolve. When the Biden Administration left, there were 685 unresolved SIPs with 322 considered overdue. The Trump EPA’s goal is to clear this backlog as soon as possible.
“The Biden Administration’s focus on ideological pursuits instead of the agency’s core mission and statutory duties resulted in a delay of air quality improvement. With more than 140 million Americans living in nonattainment areas around the country, cooperative federalism and clearing out the State Implementation Plan backlog will make significant strides to improving the air we breathe,” said EPA Administrator Zeldin.
Many states have raised concerns related to being punished for emissions outside the control of their state as well as the air quality monitors not being located in most logical locations. EPA will work with, not against, states and assist them to ensure that air quality is protected while growing the economy—including development and expansion of semiconductor manufacturing and artificial intelligence.
This was announced in conjunction with a number of historic actions to advance President Trump’s Day One executive orders and Power the Great American Comeback. Combined, these announcements represent the greatest and most consequential day of deregulation in the history of the United States. While accomplishing EPA’s core mission of protecting the environment, the agency is committed to fulfilling President Trump’s promise to unleash American energy, lower costs for Americans, revitalize the American auto industry, restore the rule of law, and give power back to states to make their own decisions.