Democrat says Biden’s EPA air pollution limit doesn’t go far enough

A Democratic member of Congress on Monday said that the Biden administration is not going far enough to protect people from deadly air pollution. 

Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) joined environmental advocates at an event discussing soot pollution — which has been linked to heart attacks, asthma and premature deaths —  saying he’s “disappointed” the agency didn’t go further in its regulation.

He specifically called out the EPA’s decision to maintain previously set limits for daily exposure to this type of pollution. 

“They left in place the protective daily health standard of 35 micrograms per cubic meter,” he said. “There’s a lot of evidence that says that 35’s just way too high.”

Soot pollution, also known as fine particulate matter, can come from fossil fuel-powered cars or power plants or from other sources like fires or construction sites.

The standards themselves don’t directly set limits on any particular pollution source. Instead, they serve as a national guideline that can trigger EPA actions to ensure the air quality requirement is being met across the country. 

The majority of EPA’s own science advisers have also called for a tighter daily limit, saying that the standard should be somewhere between 25 to 30 micrograms per cubic meter.  

The EPA did propose to tighten yearly exposure limits. Many environmental organizations have described the EPA’s proposal as both a step in the right direction and yet not sufficiently stringent. 

Justifying the decision not to go for tighter annual limits, EPA Administrator Michael Regan said last month that the agency’s proposal was based on “sound science and a rigorous evaluation of the data that we have at hand.”  

Asked Monday about why the EPA is proposing not to tighten daily limits, spokesperson Tim Carroll said that lowering the annual exposure limit will also protect people against daily exposure. 

“In most locations, a more stringent annual standard will ensure that daily peaks are well controlled,” Carroll said in a written statement. 

He also noted that while the EPA is proposing not to change the 24-hour standard, the agency is accepting public comments on bringing the daily standard down to as low as 25 micrograms per cubic meter.

The agency may change its mind between issuing a proposal and signing a final rule.

This story was updated at 6:48 p.m.