The Biden administration wants to tighten limits on fine particulate matter.
It would be the first time in more than a decade that the federal government would take action against a contaminant.
Smokestacks, construction, trucks, power plants and other industrial activity produce fine particulate matter. It is one-thirtieth the width of a human hair and can be found in the lungs. It is linked to a number of illnesses.
The current limit has been in place since 2012 and would be tightened under the draft rule by the EPA. It could prevent as many as 4,200 premature deaths annually, as well as 270,000 missed workdays, and result in up to $43 billion in net health and economic benefits by 2032.
Michael Regan is the administrator of the E.P.A. Poor and minority communities are disproportionately exposed to soot and other air pollution because they are located near highways and power plants.
The proposal will help ensure that all communities, especially the most vulnerable, are protected from exposure to harmful pollution, according to Mr. Regan.
According to a study published in the American Journal of Public Health, black people are more likely to have health problems from exposure to industrial soot.
"No one should be sick by the environment they live in, and E.P.A.'s proposal marks the start of changes that will have a lasting impact in communities all over," said Dr.
For Mayela Bustos, 61, a teacher's aide for disabled children in southeast Houston, stricter air pollution standards can't be too far away. She said that the air quality in her neighborhood was some of the worst in the world.
Every five years, the federal government must review the science associated with particulate matter. The Trump administration in 2020 refused to tighten the pollution limits despite the fact that they could save thousands of lives a year. The last time they were tightened was in 2012
The American Lung Association said that the previous administration missed an opportunity to strengthen the standards and that people were suffering from their effects.
The new rule will hurt the economy, according to business groups.
Chad Whiteman is the vice president of environment and regulatory affairs for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The U.S. cannot afford more supply chain disruptions.
The E.P.A. found that the rule would cost the industry between 95 million and $390 million by 2032. The economic benefit, calculated in lives saved, illnesses averted and missed workdays prevented, would outweigh the costs by a range of $8 billion to $43 billion over the same time.
The particulate matter standard is proposed to be lowered from a limit of 12 to 9. Public comments will be accepted for 60 days. The initial proposal could be loosened or tightened based on the comments the agency officials said.
The proposal didn't go far enough to protect vulnerable communities. Laura M. Esquivel is the vice president of federal policy at the Hispanic Federation. The Biden administration needs to do more to make sure Latino communities aren't at risk.
The Biden administration has been restoring and expanding environmental protections that were weakened or ignored by the Trump administration. Mr. Biden now faces two years of a divided Congress with few prospects for significant legislation. He has the power of his authority.
The E.P.A. will tighten the rules on auto pollution later this year. A new rule to rein in carbon dioxide emissions from power plants will be enacted this year after the Trump administration weakened.
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