A federal appeals court on Friday rejected the Environmental Protection Agency’s request to roll back Biden-era limits on soot pollution from coal-fired power plants and factories, dealing a setback to the Trump administration’s deregulation efforts.
this The EPA under President Donald Trump last year asked an appeals court to strike down the 2024 rule, arguing that the agency acted unreasonably without considering costs when setting standards.
The court dismissed the petition and retained the annual limit of 9 micrograms per cubic meter of fine particulate matter, known as PM 2.5.
“After initially defending the new rule, EPA has now moved to rescind the rule on the grounds that it exceeded its statutory authority and acted unreasonably without regard to costs. Because these arguments lack merit, we deny the request for review and the motion to quash,” the ruling states.
The EPA under Biden has said tighter restrictions would prevent more than 800,000 cases of asthma symptoms, 2,000 hospital visits and 4,500 premature deaths.
But the Trump EPA said the 2024 rule “would cost American citizens hundreds of millions, if not billions, of dollars if allowed to go ahead” and was not based on a comprehensive review of existing science. Friday said It is reviewing the decision.
Environmental groups called Trump’s attempt to overturn the rule a blatant retreat from important public health protections.
The Natural Resources Defense Council praised the court’s ruling.
“Despite the Trump EPA’s delays, millions of Americans are still breathing unhealthy levels of smoke—pollution levels that science shows are not safe,” the environmental group said. “This decision removes any remaining doubt: The science has long been clear, and now so is the law.”
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