After announcing a delay to its new greenhouse gas standards, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) appears to be proposing to relax its new rules for limiting smog-forming chemicals from power plants, which will come into force in January next year.

According to media reports, the EPA is proposing to change the rule, which will require around 1000 facilities in 27 states to cut sulphur dioxide by 73% and nitrogen oxide by 54% compared to 2005 levels by 2014.

The EPA’s proposal for the Cross State Air Pollution rule would increase pollution credits in 10 states by 1%, leading to 1.3% more emissions, says Reuters.

Last month, the EPA also dropped plans for a ruling on ozone pollution after political pressure.

But the Agency maintains that the changes to the Cross State Air Pollution Rule are merely a routine technical adjustment of the levels based on new data from local and state authorities.