Court dismisses legal action against EPA air quality standard for soot

A report by the Center for Effective Government said that the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia today has rejected a challenge to the 2012 decision of the US Environmental Protection Agency to tighten its regulation on particulate matter or soot. Earlier, the EPA has updated its air quality standards based on an extensive body of scientific evidence that indicated a need to ensure public health is protected by more stringent rules. CEG said that the country's Clean Air Act requires the regulator to review air quality standards at least every five years to align its rules based on the most up-to-date scientific and health information.

CEG said inhaling soot can cause serious health problems, which include increased heart and asthma attacks, and can also lead to premature death. The demographic who are greatly affected with inhaling soot are the children, the elderly, and people with asthma, lung, and heart disease. CEG said that the updated standards will provide the American public $4 billion to $9.1 billion in annual health benefits.

The industry affected with the air quality standard amendments had challenged substantive and procedural aspects of the 2012 revision of the EPA. The appeals court said that it rejected the arguments the industry has presented regarding its challenge to the 2012 EPA decision because the regulator has presented reasonable explanation on how it had assessed the scientific evidence it obtained and why a need for a more stringent standard was called for in lieu of the said evidence.

CEG said that the latest court decision followed two more significant legal victories for the improvement of the country's air quality and public health. These include a US Supreme Court decision that upheld the EPA's authority to implement a rule that targeted air pollution that crosses state lines under the Clean Air Act last month. The other is a federal appeals court decision wherein it upheld emission standards for hazardous air pollutants from coal- and oil-fired power plants like mercury.

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US Environmental Protection Agency, US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia

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