Twelve AGs Called on EPA to Strengthen Regulations of Particulate Matter from Airplanes

California Attorney General Rob Bonta and the California Air Resource Board (CARB) led a coalition of 12 attorneys general in comments on the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) proposal for regulating particulate matter emitted from airplanes, calling the proposed standards “unlawful, arbitrary, and capricious.” Particulate matter (PM) consists of very small liquid or solid particles that pollute the air and have a range of negative health effects. In their comments, the AGs argued that EPA does not adequately acknowledge the burden of PM emissions from airplanes on nearby communities that are already overburdened by pollution. Moreover, the comments asserted that the proposed rule does not meet the agency’s obligation under the Clean Air Act to consider standards that would reduce PM emissions. The coalition called for stricter standards that fully address the environmental justice impacts of PM emissions from aircraft.