A federal appeals court this week rejects the Environmental Protection Agency's effort to repeal a Biden-era soot rule, preserving the tighter 9 micrograms per cubic meter standard for fine particulate pollution from coal-fired power plants, factories and other industrial sources.The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit issues a unanimous three-judge decision that finds the Trump administration and 25 Republican-led states and business groups failed to show the agency exceeded its authority or ignored economic impacts.The ruling preserves projected public health gains the Environmental Protection Agency cites—more than 800,000 asthma cases avoided, about 2,000 fewer hospital visits and roughly 4,500 fewer premature deaths each year—and the agency says it is reviewing the opinion while advocates press for prompt enforcement under President
Joe Biden.