The Trump administration says it will defend a Biden era-rule that is expected to keep polluters on the hook to clean up toxic “forever chemicals.”

The rule in question designated two types of these chemicals as “hazardous substances,” giving the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) more authority to clean up their contamination and require polluters to pay for it.

In a court filing on Wednesday, lawyers for the Justice Department said that the EPA “has reviewed the underlying rule and has decided to keep the Rule in place.”

The filing did not explain the decision to do so.

The move was surprising to some given other administration policies that loosen rules for toxic chemicals in favor of industry. The New York Times recently reported that a senior official had recommended scrapping

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