D.C. Circuit Hears Oral Argument in Challenges to EPA’s National Health-Based Standards for Soot

(Washington, D.C. – December 16, 2024) This morning, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit will hear oral argument in challenges to EPA’s updated and strengthened national health-based standards for particulate matter, more commonly known as soot.  

“EPA’s soot standards are a vitally important step toward cleaner and healthier air for everyone,” said Peter Zalzal, Associate Vice President for Clean Air Strategies at Environmental Defense Fund. “The standards are firmly grounded in EPA’s bedrock Clean Air Act authority and they will save thousands of lives, help advance environmental justice, and allow us all to breathe a little easier.”

Soot is closely linked to reduced lung development in children, higher rates of asthma, bronchitis, heart disease, cancer, and early deaths. A 2023 analysis by Industrial Economics for EDF found that soot is responsible for more than 100,000 premature deaths each year and that black Americans 65 and older are three times more likely to die from exposure to soot than white Americans over 65.

EPA announced in February that it was strengthening our national soot standard to 9 micrograms per cubic meter, a move that will protect the health of millions of Americans and save thousands of lives each year.

The attorneys general of Kentucky and other states, along with industry groups, challenged EPA’s soot standards in court. Environmental Defense Fund is part of a coalition of health and environmental groups defending EPA’s standards. California, joined by 15 other states, the District of Columbia, the City of New York and Harris County, Texas are also defending EPA’s action. Today, the D.C. Circuit will hear oral argument on these challenges before Judges Millett, Childs, and Ginsburg. 

Commonsense solutions are readily available and can dramatically reduce soot from its sources, which include power plant smokestacks, vehicle tailpipes, and industrial sites. For example, EPA’s final emissions standards for new cars and passenger trucks and for new heavy-duty trucks and buses will help dramatically reduce soot and other harmful pollution while also saving people money and – with the historic U.S. investments in the Inflation Reduction Act – creating high-quality jobs.