Republican vice-presidential nominee J. D. Vance pressured regulators to abandon a proposed federal rule to protect steelworkers and their communities from factories’ carcinogenic emissions, according to documents reviewed by the Lever. The final rules were weakened after Ohio senator Vance and other lawmakers intervened.

In a November 2023 letter, Vance urged the Environmental Protection Agency to abandon new regulations designed to limit life-shortening toxins spewed from coke plants, which are part of the steel-industry supply chain. These chemicals, like benzene, mercury, lead, and arsenic, harm workers and nearby communities by heightening the risk of cancers, inflammatory lung diseases, and other health conditions.

“I strongly urge the EPA to abandon the proposed rule to prevent unnecessary harm to domestic coke production and U.S. steel production, which is a critical economic driver of American economic recovery,” wrote Vance in a letter added to the rule’s docket in early July. “If implemented, the proposed rule will reduce coke production in the U.S. at a time when domestic steel production is more important than ever.”