White House HON relief: Annex I facilities get 2-year deadline extension

A presidential proclamation dated July 13, 2026 creates a time-limited regulatory exemption for specific stationary sources in the synthetic organic chemical manufacturing sector—allowing the facilities named in an attached Annex I to follow earlier HON-related compliance obligations for longer.

The White House action says the exemption applies to “those aspects” of EPA’s 2024 Hazardous Organic NESHAP (HON) rule that were promulgated under Clean Air Act section 112. For the covered sites, those deadlines are extended 2 years beyond the HON Rule’s relevant compliance dates. During each such 2-year period, the proclamation says the covered sources will be subject to the emissions and compliance obligations they were under before the HON Rule.

Who is covered (Annex I facility list)

The exemption applies only to the facilities named in Annex I:

• INEOS US Chemicals Company — Cooper River Facility (South Carolina)
• INEOS Nitriles USA LLC — Green Lake Facility (Texas); Lima Facility (Ohio)
• Occidental Chemical Corporation — Geismar Plant (Louisiana); Wichita Plant (Kansas)
• Zeon Chemicals LP — Louisville Facility (Kentucky); Zeon Chemicals LP Mississippi Plant (Mississippi)
• Westlake Vinyls Inc. — Calvert City Facility (Kentucky)
• Westlake Epoxy Inc. — Deer Park Facility (Texas)
• Westlake Chemicals and Vinyls LLC — Plaquemine Facility (Louisiana)
• Westlake Vinyls Company, LP — Geismar Facility (Louisiana)
• Eastman Chemical Company — Kingsport Facility (Tennessee)
• Hexion Inc. — Hexion Fayetteville Facility (North Carolina)
• Indorama Ventures Oxides, LLC — LAB Chocolate Bayou Facility (Texas)
• Methanex USA LLC — Geismar Facility (Louisiana)
• Methanex Beaumont, LLC — Beaumont Facility (Texas)
• Alpek Polyester USA, LLC — Columbia Site (South Carolina)
• Shintech Louisiana LLC — Plaquemine Complex (Louisiana)
• Nouryon Functional Chemicals LLC — Axis Facility (Alabama)
• AdvanSix Resins & Chemicals LLC — Frankford Plant (Pennsylvania)

What changes during the exemption window

This isn’t portrayed as a blanket “pause” of the entire HON program. Instead, the proclamation limits the relief to certain aspects—specifically the portions promulgated under Clean Air Act section 112—and only for the Annex I facilities.

Practically, the proclamation’s key compliance message is that during each extended 2-year period, the covered sources will be subject to the emissions and compliance obligations they were under before the HON Rule.

Timeline: baseline HON deadlines and the 2-year extension rule

In the May 16, 2024 Federal Register final rule, EPA set compliance timing for several HON-related provisions, including dates such as:

• July 15, 2024: owners and operators must begin submitting performance test reports electronically (beginning on that date).
• July 15, 2025: semiannual reports are due on and after that date.
• July 15, 2026: for affected sources that commenced construction or reconstruction on or before April 25, 2023, fenceline monitoring must begin by no later than July 15, 2026.

Under the proclamation, each compliance deadline established under the HON Rule that applies to the Annex I facilities is extended by 2 years from the date originally required for that deadline.

What to watch next

For communities and facility operators, the next practical question is how EPA and permit authorities reflect the proclamation’s 2-year deadline extensions in covered sources’ compliance planning and permit schedules.

Separately, EPA also says facilities may be able to request compliance extensions for fenceline monitoring provisions (40 CFR 63.184) under Clean Air Act section 112—up to one additional year where needed for installation of controls.

Bottom line: the proclamation creates a targeted exemption framework for the Annex I chemical facilities, extending certain section 112 aspects of the HON compliance deadlines by 2 years and, during the extended window, keeping covered sources on their pre-HON compliance obligations.

Sources

• White House — Presidential Proclamation (July 13, 2026): Regulatory Relief for Certain Stationary Sources to Promote American Chemical Manufacturing Security
• Federal Register — EPA HON Rule (Final Rule): Hazardous Organic NESHAP compliance deadline context (89 FR 42932)
• EPA — Hazardous Organic NESHAP (HON) Frequent Questions