Soot is made up of tiny particles that lodge deep in the lungs. It results from fossil fuel combustion and other sources and causes cancer, asthma attacks, and premature deaths. Photo: Unsplash
April 14, 2026 (Boston, MA) – Conservation Law Foundation (CLF), as part of a coalition of 17 health, community, and environmental groups, have filed a lawsuit against the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for failing to implement the strengthened 2024 national standard for particulate matter air pollution, commonly known as soot.
EPA has estimated that the strengthened standard will prevent up to 4,500 premature deaths annually, avoid 800,000 cases of asthma symptoms and 2,000 emergency room visits, and yield up to $46 billion in net health benefits once implemented. The coalition also filed a motion for summary judgment asking the court to put the agency on a court-ordered deadline to carry out its overdue responsibility.
“The EPA’s refusal to take even basic steps to drive compliance with the 2024 soot standard leaves one of the most dangerous forms of air pollution largely unchecked, putting the health of Americans at risk,” the legal organizations representing the coalition said in a statement. “Doctors and scientists who treat patients and study air pollution have made overwhelmingly clear that soot pollution kills and sickens people. Delaying compliance and enforcement of the standard is a choice the Trump administration is making to allow preventable health harms to worsen every day. Over and over again, this administration shows what its priority is – letting polluters off the hook. We are determined to ensure that the Trump EPA complies with the law and carries out these life-saving protections against soot pollution.”
Soot is made up of tiny particles that lodge deep in the lungs. It results from fossil fuel combustion and other sources and causes cancer, asthma attacks, and premature deaths. In February, the EPA missed a key deadline for designating areas with soot pollution levels in violation of the 2024 standard. These designations are the first step toward bringing dangerous soot pollution levels down to safer levels and making sure areas across the U.S. are in compliance with that health-based standard.
In addition to CLF, the coalition members are Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments, American Lung Association, American Public Health Association, American Thoracic Society, Center for Biological Diversity, Citizens for Pennsylvania’s Future, Clean Air Council, CleanAIRE NC, Environmental Defense Fund, Georgia Interfaith Power & Light, Michigan Environmental Council, Natural Resources Defense Council, Northeast Ohio Community Resilience Centre, Rio Grande International Study Center, Savannah Riverkeeper, and Sierra Club. Clean Air Task Force, Earthjustice, and Southern Environmental Law Center are serving as legal counsel representing many of these organizations.
CLF experts are available for further comment.
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