Tighter Standard For Fine Particles Upheld

A federal appeals court has upheld EPA’s 2012 decision to tighten the air quality standard for fine particulate matter, ruling that the agency has “substantial discretion” when setting pollution limits. EPA tightened the annual standard for soot and other fine particles to 12 µg/m³, down from the previous standard of 15 µg/m³. A coalition of industry groups had filed lawsuits challenging the stricter standard, arguing that EPA didn’t consider all available scientific evidence. The groups submitted their own studies that suggested the previous limit was sufficient. But the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled on May 9 that the revised standard is based on “an extensive body of scientific evidence that includes thousands of studies, and follows the law.”