AG Bonta leading a bipartisan coalition of 17 AGs and New York City with the California Air Resources Board, issued the following statement on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit’s decision upholding the Biden Administration Environmental Protection Agency’s 2024 rule strengthening the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for fine particulate matter, also known as soot.  The rule was challenged by a coalition of states as well as a coalition of industry and business entities, which asked the Court to strike down the updated soot standard. Attorney General Bonta, joined by the California Air Resources Board, led a coalition in intervening in the lawsuit to defend the standard.

“Today’s ruling reaffirms what we have said all along: this attack on important and legally-required federal health protections was meritless. The 2024 PM2.5 standard was grounded in decades of scientific research clearly showing that stronger standards reducing particulate matter pollution were necessary to save live. Despite this, the Trump Administration has failed to implement this life-saving soot standard. We call on them to follow the science and law and implement the standard immediately.” -AG Bonta