Trump administration moves to weaken soot pollution limits, drawing backlash from environmental groups

The Trump administration has launched a fresh effort to roll back stricter limits on deadly soot pollution, triggering sharp criticism from environmental organisations who say the move puts public health at risk.

The push comes after the Environmental Protection Agency filed a motion in a Washington, DC appeals court arguing that the Biden administration overstepped its authority when it tightened air quality standards in 2024. Lawyers for the EPA said the rule was introduced without the “rigorous, stepwise process” required under the 1963 Clean Air Act and should therefore be scrapped.

“EPA has concluded that the position it advanced earlier is erroneous,” the agency said in its filing, adding that it should conduct a “thorough review of the underlying criteria and corresponding standards” before setting any new limits.

Under Biden appointee Michael S Regan, the EPA lowered the acceptable level of soot in the air from 12 micrograms per cubic metre to 9 micrograms, a change the agency said could prevent up to 4,500 premature deaths and 290,000 lost workdays by 2032. The rule was initially defended by the EPA despite legal challenges from Republican-led states and business groups, who argued it would drive up costs. That stance reversed after Trump-appointed Lee Zeldin took over the agency.

Upon assuming office, Zeldin vowed to dismantle dozens of environmental protections as part of what he called the “largest deregulatory action in the history of the United States”.