Court blocks EPA's bid to weaken Biden's soot pollution rules

A federal appeals court has blocked the EPA’s attempt to scrap a Biden-era rule on soot pollution. The decision keeps stricter limits on fine particle pollution from power plants and industry. The ruling marks a setback for the Trump administration’s push to ease regulations on coal.

The EPA under President Trump had asked the court to invalidate the 2024 rule. It argued the standards exceeded its authority and ignored costs to businesses. An EPA spokeswoman had warned the rule could cost Americans hundreds of millions, if not billions, of dollars.

The court rejected these claims, calling the EPA’s arguments without merit. The three-judge panel left the 2024 rule intact, including its annual limit of 9 micrograms of fine particles per cubic metre of air.

Under Biden, the EPA had said the tighter limits would prevent 800,000 asthma cases, 2,000 hospital visits, and 4,500 premature deaths each year. Environmental groups praised the ruling as a win for public health and a rebuke to EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin.

The lawsuit challenging the rule came from 25 Republican-led states and business groups. The court’s decision upholds the stricter pollution standards. The rule’s health benefits remain in place, while the EPA’s bid to roll it back has failed. The ruling also curbs the Trump administration’s efforts to support coal by loosening environmental rules.