A U.S. appeals court has ruled against an effort to weaken federal air pollution rules for coal-fired power plants, allowing stricter limits on fine particulate matter (PM2.5), or soot, to remain in place. The decision supports air quality standards introduced in 2024 that lowered the annual allowable concentration of PM2.5 from 12 to 9 micrograms per cubic metre. The court found no legal basis to overturn the regulation, reinforcing the government’s authority to set health-based pollution limits aimed at protecting the public from harmful airborne particles.
The tighter standards are expected to deliver significant public health benefits by reducing illnesses linked to air pollution, including asthma attacks, heart disease, lung disease, and premature deaths. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the rule could prevent thousands of early deaths and hundreds of thousands of asthma-related cases each year. Environmental groups welcomed the ruling as a victory for clean air and public health, while some industry organisations argue that meeting the stricter standards will require costly upgrades for coal-fired power plants and other industrial facilities. More