On Friday, the United States Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit handed President Barack Obama, U.S. EPA, American Lung Association and Environmental Defense Fund another victory for clean air and public health protection.
The DC Circuit turned down all petitions by the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) that sought to overturn EPA's 2013 rulemaking decision concerning PM 2.5 (inhalable particulate matter less than 2.5 microns in diameter).
EPA had published a final rule in that 2013 action to increase the stringency of the PM-2.5 primary, health-related National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS).
The EPA rule changed the NAAQS for PM-2.5 from 15 micrograms per cubic meter to 12 micrograms per cubic meter for annual average exposures. A geographic area is thus now considered to be in violation of the primary, health-related NAAQS when the 3 year average of the monitored annual average PM-2.5 concentrations in a community exceeds 12 micrograms per cubic meter.
The EPA 2013 rule also increased stringency of the rule by removing a 'spatial averaging' procedure left over from the Bush Administration that would have the effect of allowing 'hot spots' that could exceed the standard.
The full text of the decision is here:
http://www.cadc.uscourts.gov/...
Here is EPA's page on all of the NAAQS standards:
http://www.epa.gov/...
Here is EPA's page on particulate matter air pollution and health effects:
http://www.epa.gov/...
Here is the specific NAAQS for PM-2.5 in the Code of Federal Regulations:
http://www.gpo.gov/...
Get near real time information in your community about PM-2.5 air pollution and other air pollutants at:
http://www.airnow.gov