EPA to abandon air pollution rule that would prevent thousands of U.S. deaths

⭐ Join our community and access the best we offer!

illuminem summarises for you the essential news of the day. Read the full piece in The Washington Post or enjoy below:

🗞️ Driving the news: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is withdrawing its defense of a Biden-era rule that tightened national limits on fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) — a pollutant responsible for thousands of premature deaths annually
• The agency now argues the stricter standard was implemented without proper legal procedure

🔭 The context: The Biden rule lowered allowable soot levels from 12.0 to 9.0 µg/m³, which the EPA estimated would prevent 4,500 premature deaths and 290,000 lost workdays by 2032
• Industry groups and Republican-led states challenged it, citing high compliance costs and permitting barriers
• The Trump administration’s EPA now seeks to revert to the 2020 standard

🌍 Why it matters for the planet: PM2.5 pollution is one of the deadliest environmental hazards, linked to heart attacks, stroke, lung cancer, asthma, and other respiratory failures
• Rolling back the standard could slow progress on environmental justice, especially in low-income and frontline communities disproportionately exposed to industrial emissions

⏭️ What’s next: If the D.C. Circuit agrees to vacate the rule, the stricter limits will disappear before the February 7 designation deadline, reinstating the Trump-era standard while the EPA restarts a multi-year review process

💬 One quote: “The administration wants to take away Americans’ right to breathe clean, safe air,” said John Walke of the NRDC

📈 One stat: Wildfires and dust now account for a growing share of U.S. PM2.5 — but industrial sources remain major contributors in many regions

Explore carbon credit purchases, total emissions, and climate targets of thousands of companies on Data Hub™ — the first platform designed to help sustainability providers generate sales leads!

Click for more news covering the latest on pollution and public governance