EtO Power

It is obvious by now that the Trump administration has packed the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration with climate change deniers. When Lake County stormwater managers asked when they can declare a flood emergency, a National Weather Service meteorologist said: "Whatever floats your boat."

HaHa. The rain may have stopped but it may not be safe to go outdoors just yet. The White House has also gutted Biden-era EPA safety restrictions on ethylene oxide emissions:

the E.P.A. replaced the 2024 regulations with a less stringent set. It justified this action by saying that it had been wrong to reëvaluate the risks of ethylene oxide in the first place, because it lacked the authority to do so. Coincidentally or not, the sterilizer industry's trade group had made this same argument in a 2024 legal filing.
Can the E.P.A. Survive Lee Zeldin?

Moreover, companies that didn't want to comply with even those relaxed restrictions could simply ...

apply for exemptions. All they had to do was send an e-mail to the agency. (The Administration described the waivers as necessary for "national security interests.")
Can the E.P.A. Survive Lee Zeldin?

One environmental watchdog said: "The industry can always voluntarily observe the stronger ethylene oxide emission standards. But don't hold your breath."

Next week: Make America Healthy Again.