Trump’s EPA Abandons Defense of National Soot Standard That Saves Lives

Washington, D.C. —

Last night, in an unprecedented move, the Trump administration’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) gave up defending the national, health-based limits on fine particulate matter (PM2.5), also known as soot, that EPA strengthened last year. The EPA’s court filing asks the U.S, Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit to strike down the soot standard.

Soot, made up of tiny toxic particles that lodge deep in the lungs, results in severe health harms, including premature death, and comes from sources like vehicle exhaust pipes, power plants, and factories.

The National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for PM2.5 — or the soot standards — are a cornerstone of the Clean Air Act. After over a decade without updates, the EPA followed the advice of independent experts and extensive scientific evidence and strengthened the annual soot standard to better protect public health, reducing the allowable level from 12 to 9 micrograms per cubic meter. Corporations and dozens of state attorneys general sued shortly after, though the rule is projected to result in billions of dollars in health benefits, prevent thousands of premature deaths, and deliver cleaner air to millions of people, particularly those living near highways, factories, and power plants.

“Walking away from these clean air standards doesn’t power anything but disease,” said Patrice Simms, vice president of Healthy Communities at Earthjustice. “Trump has made it clear that his agenda is all about saving corporations money, and this administration’s EPA has nothing to do with protecting people’s health, saving lives, or serving children, families, or communities. We will continue to defend this life-saving standard.”

“The public health and economic benefits of the current standard are tangible,” said Hayden Hashimoto, attorney at Clean Air Task Force. “By EPA’s own estimate, the current PM NAAQS would avoid 800,000 cases of asthma symptoms, 2,000 hospital visits, and 4,500 premature deaths — adding up to $46 billion in health benefits in 2032. An abundance of scientific evidence shows going back to the previous standard would fail to provide the level of protection for public health required under the Clean Air Act.”

The EPA has never before abandoned its legal defense of a strengthened national ambient air quality standard. The agency and Department of Justice had previously vigorously defended the standard as recently as December 2024. Despite EPA’s filing endorsing some of the challengers’ legal arguments, the science remains clear that the prior standard allowed significant human health harms to occur, including numerous deaths, and needed to be strengthened to protect public health. The standard also remains in effect and is firmly within EPA’s legal scope, supported by the EPA’s own scientific evidence.

The EPA found that meeting the stronger standard would provide benefits for public health valued at $46 billion each year once all areas come into compliance, while costing less than 1.5% of that amount. There are many commonsense and low-cost solutions to reduce pollution from large industrial sources. Earthjustice analyzed polluters’ faulty claims about predicted impacts of the new standard and found that they were based on flawed analysis. Cleaner air and economic growth have gone hand in hand after past air standard improvements. And the dire results polluters claimed would result from the strengthened soot standard have failed to materialize.

Air pollution is a serious problem, especially for children, and Black communities and other people of color breathe in more of it, and face higher rates of asthma, heart disease, and premature death. Studies show that Black communities are exposed to roughly 1.5 times more deadly soot pollution than white communities.

In April, a coalition of 100 environmental, public health, and community groups urged EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin to uphold and swiftly implement the 2024 soot standard, warning that any delay would endanger already overburdened communities.

Earthjustice, its clients, and partners intervened last year to defend the soot standard against court challenges from polluters and their allies. Earthjustice clients are Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments, American Lung Association, Environmental Defense Fund, NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council), Northeast Ohio Black Health Coalition, Rio Grande International Study Center, and Sierra Club. Clean Air Task Force represents Citizens for Pennsylvania’s Future and Conservation Law Foundation.

Quotes from our clients

“Our communities already carry the burden of polluted air and higher rates of asthma and heart disease. Weakening soot protections will only deepen these disparities and cost more Black lives,” said Yvonka Hall, executive director of the Northeast Ohio Black Health Coalition.

“In the border region, families breathe air laced with pollution from trucks, refineries, and factories. This decision puts our health and our children’s future at even greater risk,” said Tricia Cortez, executive director of the Rio Grande International Study Center.

“As nurses, we see the toll air pollution takes on our patients — especially kids and older adults. Gutting science-based standards puts lives in danger and public health on the line,” said Katie Huffling, DNP, RN, CNM, FAAN executive director from the Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments.

“Instead of enforcing clean air protections, EPA is cynically partnering with big polluters to bypass public input and dismantle the laws that safeguard the air we all breathe. It ignores the clear science telling us that this choice will be deadly,” said John Walke, senior attorney and director of federal clean air at NRDC.

“EPA’s soot standards are life-saving protections that are firmly grounded in bedrock Clean Air Act legal authority. The Trump administration’s attempt to reverse course and weaken the soot standards would mean more pollution, more serious health problems, and more deaths. We will continue to vigorously defend these vital safeguards.” – Peter Zalzal, distinguished counsel and associate vice president for Clean Air Strategies, Environmental Defense Fund.

“Lee Zeldin’s continued attacks on clean air are reckless, life-threatening, and a complete betrayal of the EPA’s core mission to protect our communities and our environment,” said Sierra Club Climate Policy Director Patrick Drupp. “While this administration continues to strip away access to affordable health care, they are simultaneously allowing fossil fuel companies to cut corners and make Americans sicker. We will continue to fight back against Lee Zeldin’s dangerous agenda to bolster fossil fuels and protect Americans from toxic pollutants.”