Attorney generals from Kentucky and West Virginia are leading 24 GOP states in a lawsuit challenging a new rule from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) setting more stringent regulations against soot pollution, citing concerns that higher limits will force American companies to have to outsource manufacturing jobs overseas.
The new standard, announced on Feb. 7, reduces the maximum level of permissible soot pollution from the Obama-era’s 12 micrograms down to 9 micrograms per cubic meter of air. According to the EPA, the rule is predicted to save lives and estimated to help prevent up to 4,500 premature deaths and 290,000 lost workdays in 2032.
