WASHINGTON - The Biden administration announced on Friday to tighten the restrictions to fine particle matter (FPM), which is a dangerous air pollutant, also called soot.

It's it's the first time in over 10 years in the past decade that the government takes action on a toxic substance that is responsible for thousands of premature deaths each year.

Fine particulate matter originates from smokestacksand construction sites vehicles, power plants and various other industrial processes. Its diameter is less than 2.5 micrometers, which is one-third the size of a human hair and is able to be embedded into the lung. It can cause stroke, heart attacks and respiratory illnesses.

The proposed rule from the Environmental Protection Agency would tighten the current limit that was in effect since 2012, as much than 25 percent. The Administration estimates that it can save as many as 4200 premature deaths per year and 270,000 workdays missed each year. This could yield up to $43 billion in economic and health benefits by 2032.

The Biden Administration's Environmental Agenda

Michael Regan, the E.P.A. administrator, said that the new rule was a crucial part of the Biden administration's efforts to tackle environmental justice. Minorities and poor communities are particularly vulnerable to soot and pollutants due to being often located near power plants, highways and other industrial sites.

"Our work to deliver clean, breathable air for everyone is a top priority at E.P.A., and this proposal will help ensure that all communities, especially the most vulnerable among us, are protected from exposure to harmful pollution," Mr. Regan said in a phone conversation with reporters.

A 2018 study conducted by E.P.A. scientists released in American Journal of Public Health discovered it was found that Black communities were more at danger of developing health issues due to exposure to industrial fumes than the general population.

"No one should be sickened by the environment they live in, and E.P.A.'s proposal marks the start of changes that will have a lasting impacts in communities all over, especially Black and brown communities," the Dr. Doris Browne, former president of the National Medical Association, the largest national organization that represents Black doctors.

In the case of Mayela Bustos who is 61 years old, who is a teacher's assistant for children with disabilities in southeast Houston more stringent standards for air pollution can't come anytime soon enough. "We have some of the worst air quality in the world in this neighborhood, and as someone who struggles with chronic respiratory problems, on some days I struggle to breathe," she declared.

The Clean Air Act requires that the federal government examine the research associated with particulate matter at least every five years and modify limits in accordance with. However, despite suggestions from its own experts, and research that suggests that tightening pollutant limits would save thousands of lives every year however, in the Trump Administration in the year 2020 refused to make the change. The last time they were tightened was in 2012.

"The fact that the previous administration missed the opportunity to strengthen these standards meant that in the interim we saw people suffer the health impacts of these standards that should have been tightened," said Laura Bender, an assistant vice president of the American Lung Association.

Business groups warn that this new rule could hurt the economy that is already suffering from the effects of inflation.

"While it is important to continue making progress, further reducing particulate matter standards may lead to unintended consequences and hamper our ability to build badly needed infrastructure," said Chad Whiteman, vice president of regulatory and environmental matters at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Global Energy Institute. "In this period of high inflation and supply chain disruptions, the U.S. cannot afford more disruptions to our economy."

The E.P.A.'s cost-benefit analysis of the proposed rule found that it will cost the industry anywhere from $95 million to $390 million in 2032. However, the agency estimates that the economic value, as measured by the number of lives saved, illnesses avoided and missed workdays avoided in the future, could outweigh these expenses by anywhere from between $8 billion and $43 billion in the same period.

The draft rule proposes to lower the standard for particulate matter from a maximum that is 12 micrograms for each cubic millimeter to levels between 9 to 10-micrograms for each cubic meters. The E.P.A. will allow public input regarding rules proposed for up to 60 days. The agency officials have said that from the comments received they may decide to make changes to the rule before deciding on it most likely in the coming months.

Some environmental justice advocates argued that the proposed rule did not go enough to ensure the safety of vulnerable communities. "This rule falls short of taking steps to mitigate the decades of neglect and harm done to the health of our communities and to the health of Latino children in particular," said Laura M. Esquivel, vice president of policy for the federal division for the Hispanic Federation. "We will continue to advocate for the Biden administration to do more to ensure Latino communities are not left at risk."

It is just the most recent in a string of decisions taken of Biden's administration Biden administration to strengthen and restore environmental protections, which were taken back as well as weakened or ignored by the presidency of Donald J. Trump. After the midterms in November the president. Biden now faces two years of the tense Congress with little chance of legislation significant in his next 2 years. He is forced to lean on the executive power.

In 2021, the E.P.A. reinstated Obama-era regulations on climate-warming auto pollution that were removed under the administration of Mr. Trump, and it is anticipated to restrict the rules later in the year. In addition, the officials from the agency plan to finish an overhaul of the regulations governing methane leaks, an extremely warming gas that leaks out of gas and oil wells, and to introduce an entirely new rule that will rein the carbon dioxide emissions of power plants, following the Trump administration had weakened and reversed regulations on these pollutants.
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