In response to the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) release of its draft National Soot Standard, Evergreen Action Executive Director Jamal Raad released the following statement: 

“EPA’s proposed National Soot Standard lacks ambition and must be improved in a final rule. By proposing a range that would allow for pollution levels well above those that health experts have called for, EPA is risking unnecessary exposure to the deadly soot pollution we know contributes to tens of thousands of deaths every year, especially in disadvantaged communities. 

“As EPA works to finalize this rule, they should cap soot pollution at 8 µg/m3, a benchmark that Evergreen and health experts have previously called for. Doing so would drive down fossil-fueled pollution that is harming frontline communities and vulnerable people around the country. To live up to their mandate to protect human health, EPA must make improvements to this proposed rule without delay.”

In October, Evergreen Action released Falling Behind: A Report Card on the EPA’s Progress on 10 Important Power Sector Rules, which reviewed EPA’s progress on the regulations that are key to cutting air and climate pollution from power plants, including the National Soot Standard. Only 1 out of 10 rules are currently on track. You can read the full review of EPA’s progress, along with our recommendations here.

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