Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin recently announced nearly three dozen deregulatory moves that he said would spur the U.S. economy by rolling back rules that have unfairly burdened industry. Many of the moves would affect landmark regulations aimed at protecting clean air and water.
Industry generally applauded the proposed changes, while environmentalists worried about what would amount to historic rollbacks if they are approved. Here's a look at some of the regulatory changes Zeldin announced:
Power plant emissions standards
The Biden administration set limits on planet-warming emissions from existing gas and coal-fired power plants, a major step in the administration’s effort to reduce greenhouse gases from the heavily polluting energy sector. Trump has long opposed such tough, climate-friendly limits and has instead promoted oil and gas development. Zeldin said the agency would reconsider the Biden administration standards to avoid constraining energy production.
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The Jeffrey Energy Center coal-fired power plant operates Jan. 25 near Emmett, Kan. The EPA is reconsidering Biden administration limits on emissions from gas and coal-fired power plants.Â
Toxic emission limits on power plants
Coal plants emit toxic metals like mercury and the Biden administration issued a rule to severely limit those pollutants. Officials at the time said technology had progressed enough for these plants to do better. The EPA said nearly two dozen states had sued, arguing the rule was costly and a major burden, especially to coal plants. They also considered offering industry a two-year compliance extension while officials reconsider the rule.
Wastewater rules for coal and other power plants
Hazardous metals like mercury and arsenic end up in the wastewater of steam-powered electric generating power plants like coal. These can have serious health effects including increasing cancer rates and lowering childhood IQ scores. The Biden administration tightened regulations of this wastewater. The EPA said it will revisit those “stringent†rules that are costly to industry and therefore may raise residential energy bills.
The CHS oil refinery is silhouetted against the setting sun Sept. 28, 2024, in McPherson, Kan.
New uses for oil and gas wastewater
Currently, treated wastewater generated from oil and gas drilling can be used in limited ways in certain western lands, such as for agriculture. Environmentalists say there can be a broad range of contaminants in the wastewater, some of which might not be known. The EPA said it will reconsider those rules and look at how the treated water could be used for other purposes like cooling data centers, fighting fires and other ecological needs. They say the current rules are costly, old and don’t reflect the capabilities of modern treatment technologies.
Petrochemical emergency planning
The Biden administration tightened safeguards against accidents for industrial and chemical plants that millions of people live near. The agency’s risk management program added planning and reporting requirements for facilities and forced some to implement new safeguards. Accidents at these plants can be severe; a 2019 explosion at a Texas facility, for example, forced tens of thousands to evacuate. Industry associations have criticized parts of the rule, such as requirements to publicly report sensitive information.
Zeldin said Biden administration officials “ignored recommendations from national security experts on how their rule makes chemical and other sensitive facilities in America more vulnerable to attack.†The EPA is reconsidering the rule.
Greenhouse gas reporting requirements
The EPA said it was reconsidering its mandatory greenhouse gas reporting program, which requires thousands of major industrial polluters to tell the agency about its emissions. Zeldin said the “bureaucratic government program†costs hundreds of millions of dollars and doesn’t help air quality. Until now, the EPA said the data helped businesses compare their emissions to competitors and find opportunities to reduce them and lower costs.
A Nissan ARIYA electric vehicle is parked on a car dealer's lot, Monday, Feb. 6, 2023, in Manchester, N.H.Â
Vehicle regulations
Zeldin vowed to review his agency’s emissions standards for cars and trucks, calling the tightened emissions rules the “foundation for the Biden-Harris electric vehicle mandate.†Nothing the Biden administration implemented required automakers to make and sell EVs or for consumers to buy them. Loosening standards would allow vehicles to emit more planet-warming greenhouse gases, but many automakers have already been investing in making their vehicles more efficient.
Reconstitute Science Advisory Board and Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee
These seats have long been politicized given how influential they can be in setting national environmental policy. The board reviews “the quality and relevance of the scientific and technical information being used by the EPA or proposed as the basis for Agency regulations†and agency research programs. Congress directed the agency to establish the board to provide the administrator science advice in 1978. The committee can give “independent advice†to the agency’s administrator specific to the nation’s Ambient Air Quality Standards.
Particulate matter national ambient air quality standards
Power plants and industrial facilities release particulate matter, or soot, that can easily pass through a person’s lungs and into their bloodstream. Last year, the Biden administration tightened standards regulating soot in response to scientific research indicating existing regulations were insufficient. At the time, the EPA estimated its stronger regulations would save thousands of lives and prevent hundreds of thousands of cases of asthma and lost workdays annually. The Trump administration’s EPA says these regulations are “a major obstacle†for companies and that the U.S. has low levels of soot.
National emission standards for air pollutants for American energy and manufacturing
These EPA standards apply to pollutants known or suspected to cause cancer, birth defects or other serious health problems. Industrial facilities are required to follow strict standards to monitor and limit the amount of these chemicals they release into the air. Last year, the EPA tightened standards surrounding ethylene oxide emissions, a human carcinogen commonly used as a sterilizer for medical equipment. The Trump administration said it is considering a “2-year compliance exemption†for facilities affected by these standards, among others.
Regional haze program
For decades, this EPA program has required states to reduce pollution that threatens scenic views in more than 150 national parks and wilderness areas, including in the Grand Canyon and Yellowstone. Zeldin said that the U.S. has made strides in improving visibility in national parks and that the program is being used as justification for shutting down industrial facilities and threatening affordable energy.
‘Social cost of carbon’
The social cost of carbon is an EPA tool to weigh the economic costs and benefits of regulating polluting industries by putting a price tag on climate-warming carbon dioxide emissions, set at $190 per ton under the Biden administration’s EPA. That calculation is used in cost-benefit analyses, and was intended to account for greenhouse gas emissions’ impacts including natural disasters, crop damage, health problems and sea-level rise. Under the first Trump administration, carbon was pegged at around $5 per ton. An executive order Trump signed on his first day in office directs the EPA to consider eliminating this calculation entirely to advance his “Unleashing American Energy†policy.
Does climate change spell the end of 'sweater weather?'
Does climate change spell the end of sweater weather?
The arrival of fall and its milder temperatures—especially welcome this year after the on record in the U.S.—have many looking forward to the return of "sweater weather" and all things cozy—wraps, hoodies, loungewear, scarves, and scrunchy socks. The brutal heat of the past few months is gone; now closets and drawers must be rearranged—and new items bought—for the colder months.
The rise of unpredictable weather patterns and seasonal temperatures, however, has transformed some long-standing clothing industry practices, according to Melissa Scott, founder of Modefywear, a Los Angeles-based activewear brand for women who want full coverage.
"Consumers today want more sun protection in their clothing," Scott told Stacker. "That's something that was not done in the past, sun protection, but increasingly that's what consumers want in everyday clothing, in all seasons."
Another change Scott has seen during her decade in the industry is that her factory is not making as many wool or heavy pieces as they did in the past. "When we use wool, it's now merino wool, because it's extremely breathable and lighter," she said. In other words, sweater weather is still here, but it just might be a different kind of sweater.
Weather-related cues have long influenced shopping and lifestyle habits, but the acceleration of changing weather patterns can make that dynamic more complicated and confounding. talked to experts and used data from , , and to examine how climate change is impacting "sweater weather."
When is sweater weather, anyway?
The Modefywear manufacturing plant, which produces its own line of clothing as well as lines for dozens of other designers and smaller companies, is seeing a move to lighter-weight fabrics overall, according to Scott. That doesn't mean there is any less focus on fall attire this time of year, but it might look and feel a bit different than the fashion of a generation ago.
"Sweater weather means fall has come, that the season has changed," Scott said. "You think darker clothes, and we still have those, but now it's more cotton, spandex, and polyester."
There might be no official definition of "sweater weather," but most consider it to be when temperatures fall between 55 and 65 F, according to . But it's not only about temperature; the degree of cloudiness, sunlight, and rain also influences how people choose to dress on a given day.
In general, it's fair to say that most places in the U.S. experience "sweater weather" days in the fall, but how often will vary greatly by region. For instance, in 2023, 55% of U.S. counties had an average temperature below 60 F for at least half of their fall days.
When it comes to some consumer habits, the more things change, the more they stay the same, Haley Brennan told Stacker. She's worked for a mix of small clothing boutiques and big corporate retailers. She describes herself as a microinfluencer with a fashion and lifestyle blog called Haley's Life in Color.
"People do seem to still gravitate toward sweaters, coats, and layers. It seems like when something is cute, it's cute—no matter the weather," Brennan said in a text. "Sweater weather, to me, used to signify those crisp fall days where you finally get to break out your heavier knits, but you don't yet need a full coat on top. Unfortunately, with climate change, those days seem few and far between."
A shortening start to sweater weather
Scott said she expects her plant to use around 20,000 bolts (or about 570 miles) of fabric this fall, which, she estimated, will make about 150,000 fall pieces—mainly sweaters, flannels, thermals, and other cozy items. The demand for fall styles is as robust as ever.
Warmer fall weather has been a noticeable trend over the past few decades, as seen in . Measuring fall temperatures in 242 cities, the report found that 97 cities saw two more weeks above fall temperature norms in 2023 compared to 1970. This warming trend, along with changes in air quality, has had an impact on how people dress.
"The use of lighter fabrics year-round is easier for the company," Scott said, acknowledging one benefit of using the same lighter fabrics in all seasons. "It means fewer [fabric] sources, which is more cost-effective. We are not using so many different bolts of fabric, and the process is more streamlined."
The warming trend has required designers to lean into the desires of consumers more rather than adhering to seasonality. "My friends and I would, in the past, have talked each other out of buying that skirt or short sleeve as fall and winter approached," Brennan said in a text. "Now we say things like 'Well, we might get another really warm day,' or, 'I don't know, October and November have been really warm lately!'"
Sweater season carries into winter
Another phenomenon of warming temperatures is that sweater weather stretches well beyond the fall and into the winter. Shopping trends are increasingly being driven by "micro seasons" and the rapid cycles of fast fashion.
"We're getting to the point now where it's hotter for longer," Scott said. "People still want sweaters, but in lighter-weight options."
Fall may be the start of sweater weather, but Google Trends data suggests people more often search for sweaters at the start of December (Christmas gift, anyone?) when temperatures more consistently demand sweaters. For most of the U.S., Google searches for sweaters peaked in the first and second week of December 2023. National Google shopping search data from 2018 to 2023 for sweaters echoes those trends.
Julia Rockwell, a San Francisco-based sustainability expert, author, and founder of The Mothering Earth Project, told Stacker that shifting attitudes and behavior around clothes shopping can have a profound impact on the earth. Many consumer and industry practices—especially the explosion of fast fashion, she noted—have produced needless waste and damage to the planet.
One way her family has tried to respond in the past few years is to buy secondhand clothes, purchase only what they need, and (if possible) mend clothes when they start to fray instead of replacing them, Rockwell said. Secondhand shopping is easier than it used to be with online retailers, swap parties, proliferation of consignment and thrift shops, and a growing recognition of its ecological value, she added.
"One benefit of secondhand clothes is that you can always shop for the season it is rather than for what's in the stores," Rockwell said, referring to the clothing store practice of stocking items for the upcoming season. "When I shop, I look for staple pieces and look for quality—something that can last years. I'm not thinking about just one season."
Story editing by Carren Jao. Additional editing by Kelly Glass and Elisa Huang. Copy editing by Tim Bruns.
originally appeared on and was produced and distributed in partnership with Stacker Studio.
