"The Biden administration says it will consider tougher limits on a deadly air pollutant that disproportionately affects low-income and minority communities."

"WASHINGTON — The Biden administration will reconsider federal limits on fine industrial soot, one of the most common and deadliest forms of air pollution, with an eye toward imposing tough new rules on emissions from power plants, factories and other industrial facilities.

The announcement, made Thursday by Michael S. Regan, administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, comes after the Trump administration declined last year to tighten pollution limits, despite warnings from federal scientists and others that doing so could save more than 10,000 lives a year, particularly in urban areas.

Recent scientific studies have also linked fine soot pollution with higher rates of death from Covid-19. Black and brown communities tend to be especially exposed to soot and other air pollution because they are frequently located near highways, power plants and other industrial facilities.

And the Biden administration suggested the move was part of its strategy to address environmental justice."

Coral Davenport reports for the New York Times June 10, 2021. [2]