A coalition of states is suing EPA, accusing the agency of failing to implement a Biden-era Clean Air Act rule that strengthened air quality standards for the pollutants known as soot.
In a new lawsuit filed Friday in federal court in Northern California, the states are seeking to force EPA to act — even as the Trump administration is asking a federal court to strike down the regulation.
The complaint, led by California Attorney General Rob Bonta and the California Air Resources Board, follows a similar challenge from a coalition of environmental groups filed last week. The states’ lawsuit asks a judge to fault EPA for failing to carry out the 2024 standard and order the agency to act within 150 days.
“The science is clear. When air quality worsens, hospital visits rise,” said Bonta, a Democrat. “This is the reality when the life-saving national soot standard is not implemented.”
