"The Trump administration says the cities shouldn’t be penalized for unhealthy air because pollution can blow in from abroad. Some experts say that’s preposterous."
"For decades, Phoenix has struggled with smog that gets trapped in its bowl-like topography and is detrimental to human health. In 2024, when the city failed to meet a federal air pollution standard, it risked being hit with stricter rules designed to force more aggressive pollution limits.
Then, President Trump returned to the White House. And now the Phoenix-Mesa region has gotten off the hook for an unusual reason: The Trump administration is blaming foreign countries for the pollution.
Without contaminants blowing in from Mexico and Asia, the reasoning goes, Phoenix would have been in compliance with federal pollution limits.
Other regions are now taking up that strategy. Last week, the Environmental Protection Agency accepted similar reasoning to propose that the area around Salt Lake City in Utah get a reprieve from stricter emissions rules governing vehicles, factories and power plants."
Hiroko Tabuchi reports for the New York Times April 30, 2026.
