FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 5, 2025
Contact: Ashley Sullivan, ashley.sullivan@weact.org
WASHINGTON – Last week, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) abandoned its legal defense of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for fine particulate matter (PM2.5), which were strengthened in 2024. These standards were projected to realize significant public health benefits, especially for environmental justice communities overburdened by soot pollution. Communities of color and low-income neighborhoods are disproportionately exposed to soot from highways and power plants, leading to higher rates of asthma, lung disease, heart attacks, pre-term births, and premature deaths. EPA’s retreat comes even as the Agency, built to “protect public health and the environment,” marks its 55th anniversary this week and remains legally responsible under the Clean Air Act to uphold the soot standards. The Clean Air for the Long Haul cohort worked tirelessly to secure long-overdue, health‑protective soot standards under the Biden administration, and later joined allies to defend them against challenges from industry and several states. The Trump EPA’s abandonment of the 2024 PM2.5 NAAQs defies precedence, ignores established science, and endangers public health in favor of polluting industries, reinforcing environmental racism.
Anastasia Gordon, Director of Federal Policy at WE ACT for Environmental Justice, shared the following statement: “The EPA continues to double down on a deregulatory agenda that harms everyone, but especially environmental justice communities. Soot pollution places a heavy burden on our communities. African Americans are nearly three times more likely to be hospitalized or die from asthma than their white counterparts while about 19 million low-income and 80 million people of color live in places with failing grades for soot and smog pollution. Yet, the EPA’s own data shows that the current standard saves lives, prevents asthma attacks, reduces ER visits, and cuts costs. After 55 years, the Agency must live up to its mandate under the Clean Air Act and protect our health, our communities, and our right to clean air. Until it does, we will keep fighting for the dignity and justice every community deserves.”
Ana Parras, Co-Director, Texas Environmental Justice Advocacy Services shared, “Our families are forced to breathe the nation’s most polluted air, and the science is clear: fine particulate matter is a silent killer, causing asthma, heart disease, and premature death. By refusing to defend the 2024 PM2.5 standards, the EPA is actively choosing to neglect the most vulnerable residents of the Houston area. Clean air is not a privilege; it is a fundamental right, and this decision will be fought every step of the way.”
The EPA estimated that the updated annual PM2.5 standard of 9 micrograms per cubic meter (ug/m3) would deliver $46 billion in health benefits by 2032, preventing 4,500 premature deaths, 2,000 emergency room visits, and 800,000 asthma cases. By seeking to rescind its defense of the standard and revert to the previous, far weaker 12 ug/m3 limit – siding with industry and state challengers – the Agency forfeits these gains, and by its own analysis, jeopardizes public health. At the same time, the Agency is rolling back other vital environmental protections, has eliminated environmental justice and research offices, and proposed deep cuts to the overall budget. Meanwhile, children in communities like East Harlem, which has some of the highest rates of asthma in New York City, are paying for these rollbacks with their health – now and for years to come. Altogether, these actions betray its obligations to the public. Under the Clean Air Act, EPA is duty-bound to uphold the current soot standard and fulfill its mission to protect human health and the environment.
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Clean Air For The Long Haul, a nationwide coalition of environmental justice groups, coordinates federal rulemaking campaigns, centering overburdened communities, to reduce air pollution from power plants, cars, and trucks. The coalition seeks to catalyze the environmental justice movement through federal emissions reductions targeting United States power and transportation sectors. Coalition member organizations include: Alternatives for Community and Environment, Duwamish River Community Coalition, GreenDoor Initiative, New Jersey Environmental Justice Alliance, South Bronx Unite, Texas Environmental Justice Advocacy Services, WE ACT for Environmental Justice, West End Revitalization Association, and Wisconsin Green Muslims.