Biden administration moves to tighten limits on deadly air pollution
A new rule would, for the first time in a decade, reduce soot emissions that disproportionately harm communities of color.
< p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">WASHINGTON — The Biden administration proposed Friday to tighten limits on fine particulate matter, a deadly air pollutant also known as soot.It would be the first time in more than a decade that the federal government has cracked down on a contaminant responsible for thousands of premature deaths each year.
Fine particulate matter come from chimneys, construction, trucks, power plants and other industrial activities. It has a diameter of no more than 2.5 micrometers, or one-thirtieth the width of a human hair, and can embed itself in the lungs. It's been linked to heart attacks, strokes, and respiratory conditions.
The Environmental Protection Agency's draft rule would tighten the current limit, in place since 2012, by up to 25 percent. The administration estimates it could prevent up to 4,200 premature deaths per year, as well as 270,000 missed workdays per year, and generate up to $43 billion in net health and economic benefits. 'here 2032.
Michael Regan, the E.P.A. administrator, said the new rule was central to the Biden administration's efforts to address environmental justice. Poor and minority communities are disproportionately exposed to soot and other air pollutants because they are often located near highways, power plants and other industrial facilities.
"Our work to provide safe, breathable air for all is a top priority at the E.P.A., and this proposal will help ensure that all communities, especially the most vulnerable among us, are protected against exposure to harmful pollution,” Regan said in a phone call with reporters.
A 2018 study by E.P.A. , published in The American Journal of Public Health, found that black communities were at greater risk of health problems from exposure to industrial soot than the general population.
"No one should be disgusted affected by the environment in which they live, and the EPA proposal marks the beginning of changes that will have a lasting impact on communities around the world, especially black and brown communities,” said Dr. Doris Browne, former president of the National Medical Association, the nation's largest organization representing black doctors.
For Mayela Bustos, 61, a teacher's aide for disabled children in the South east of Houston, tougher air pollution standards can't be coming soon enough. “We have one of the worst air qualities in the world in this neighborhood, and as someone with chronic respiratory issues, some days I struggle to breathe,” she said. .
The Clean Air Act requires the federal government to review scientific data associated with particulates every five years and adjust limits accordingly. But, despite recommendations from the agency's own scientists and research showing that tightening pollution limits could save thousands of lives a year, the Trump administration in 2020 has refused to do so. They were last tightened in 2012.
"The fact that the previous administration missed an opportunity to tighten these standards means that in the meantime, we have seen people suffer from the health effects of these standards. standards that should have been strengthened,” said Laura Bender, assistant vice president of the American Lung Association.
A new rule would, for the first time in a decade, reduce soot emissions that disproportionately harm communities of color.
< p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">WASHINGTON — The Biden administration proposed Friday to tighten limits on fine particulate matter, a deadly air pollutant also known as soot.It would be the first time in more than a decade that the federal government has cracked down on a contaminant responsible for thousands of premature deaths each year.
Fine particulate matter come from chimneys, construction, trucks, power plants and other industrial activities. It has a diameter of no more than 2.5 micrometers, or one-thirtieth the width of a human hair, and can embed itself in the lungs. It's been linked to heart attacks, strokes, and respiratory conditions.
The Environmental Protection Agency's draft rule would tighten the current limit, in place since 2012, by up to 25 percent. The administration estimates it could prevent up to 4,200 premature deaths per year, as well as 270,000 missed workdays per year, and generate up to $43 billion in net health and economic benefits. 'here 2032.
Michael Regan, the E.P.A. administrator, said the new rule was central to the Biden administration's efforts to address environmental justice. Poor and minority communities are disproportionately exposed to soot and other air pollutants because they are often located near highways, power plants and other industrial facilities.
"Our work to provide safe, breathable air for all is a top priority at the E.P.A., and this proposal will help ensure that all communities, especially the most vulnerable among us, are protected against exposure to harmful pollution,” Regan said in a phone call with reporters.
A 2018 study by E.P.A. , published in The American Journal of Public Health, found that black communities were at greater risk of health problems from exposure to industrial soot than the general population.
"No one should be disgusted affected by the environment in which they live, and the EPA proposal marks the beginning of changes that will have a lasting impact on communities around the world, especially black and brown communities,” said Dr. Doris Browne, former president of the National Medical Association, the nation's largest organization representing black doctors.
For Mayela Bustos, 61, a teacher's aide for disabled children in the South east of Houston, tougher air pollution standards can't be coming soon enough. “We have one of the worst air qualities in the world in this neighborhood, and as someone with chronic respiratory issues, some days I struggle to breathe,” she said. .
The Clean Air Act requires the federal government to review scientific data associated with particulates every five years and adjust limits accordingly. But, despite recommendations from the agency's own scientists and research showing that tightening pollution limits could save thousands of lives a year, the Trump administration in 2020 has refused to do so. They were last tightened in 2012.
"The fact that the previous administration missed an opportunity to tighten these standards means that in the meantime, we have seen people suffer from the health effects of these standards. standards that should have been strengthened,” said Laura Bender, assistant vice president of the American Lung Association.
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