EPA undertakes deregulatory actions, WOTUS revision

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on March 12, 2025, it will undertake 31 deregulatory actions.

With the announcement, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin aligned himself with President Trump’s day one executive orders and the Powering the Great American Comeback agenda.

An EPA press release states that while the core mission of the agency is protecting the environment, it is committed to fulfilling the President’s promise to unleash American energy, lower costs, restore the rule of law and give power back to the states.

Key actions in the announcement include reconsideration of regulations on: power plants, the oil and gas industry, wastewater regulations for coal power plants, coal ash programs; and terminating environmental justice and DEI arms of the EPA.

EPA announces WOTUS revision

The EPA also announced on March 12, 2025, that it will work with the United States Army Corps of Engineers to review the definition of “waters of the United States” (WOTUS).

The two agencies will work to ensure the revision follows the law and cuts overall costs.

The revision looks to add clear and simplified direction for farmers, landowners, businesses and states, following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Sackett v. Environmental Protection Agency.

Read the full story on the WOTUS revision here.

EPA actions to advance agenda

Administrator Zeldin announced the below actions. Every bullet below is taken verbatim from EPA's press release announced March 12.

American energy

Reconsideration of regulations on power plants (Clean Power Plan 2.0)

Reconsideration of regulations throttling the oil and gas industry (OOOO b/c)

Reconsideration of Mercury and Air Toxics Standards that improperly targeted coal-fired power plants (MATS)

Reconsideration of mandatory Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program that imposed significant costs on the American energy supply (GHG Reporting Program)

Reconsideration of limitations, guidelines and standards (ELG) for the Steam Electric Power Generating Industry to ensure low-cost electricity while protecting water resources (Steam Electric ELG)

Reconsideration of wastewater regulations for coal power plants to help unleash American energy (Oil and Gas ELG)

Reconsideration of Biden-Harris Administration Risk Management Program rule that made America’s oil and natural gas refineries and chemical facilities less safe (Risk Management Program Rule)

Cost of living

Reconsideration of light-duty, medium-duty, and heavy-duty vehicle regulations that provided the foundation for the Biden-Harris electric vehicle mandate (Car GHG Rules)

Reconsideration of the 2009 Endangerment Finding and regulations and actions that rely on that Finding (Endangerment Finding)

Reconsideration of technology transition rule that forces companies to use certain technologies that increased costs on food at grocery stores and semiconductor manufacturing (Technology Transition Rule)

Reconsideration of Particulate Matter National Ambient Air Quality Standards that shut down opportunities for American manufacturing and small businesses (PM 2.5 NAAQS)

Reconsideration of multiple National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants for American energy and manufacturing sectors (NESHAPs)

Restructuring the Regional Haze Program that threatened the supply of affordable energy for American families (Regional Haze)

Overhauling Biden-Harris Administration’s “Social Cost of Carbon”

Redirecting enforcement resources to EPA’s core mission to relieve the economy of unnecessary bureaucratic burdens that drive up costs for American consumers (Enforcement Discretion)

Terminating Biden’s Environmental Justice and DEI arms of the agency (EJ/DEI)

Cooperative federalism

Ending so-called “Good Neighbor Plan” which the Biden-Harris Administration used to expand federal rules to more states and sectors beyond the program’s traditional focus and led to the rejection of nearly all State Implementation Plans

Working with states and tribes to resolve massive backlog with State Implementation Plans and Tribal Implementation Plans that the Biden-Harris Administration refused to resolve (SIPs/TIPs)

Reconsideration of exceptional events rulemaking to work with states to prioritize the allowance of prescribed fires within State and Tribal Implementation Plans (Exceptional Events)