Attorney General Dan Rayfield announced on Apr. 24 that Oregon, along with a coalition of 13 other states and local governments, has filed a lawsuit against the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for not implementing the 2024 Clean Air Act rule that strengthens national ambient air quality standards for fine particulate matter, also known as soot.
The lawsuit seeks to ensure the EPA takes necessary steps to initiate protections outlined in the new rule and begin implementation planning. This action is seen as important because exposure to fine particulate matter is linked to serious health problems such as heart attacks, asthma attacks, cancer, and shortened lifespans. These impacts are felt most acutely by lower-income communities and communities of color.
“Soot kills people. It causes heart attacks, triggers asthma, and cuts lives short – and the science on this is not in dispute,” said Attorney General Rayfield. “Every family in this state deserves to breathe clean air and live without the threat of preventable illness, which is why we are fighting to maintain the strong environmental protections Oregonians expect.”
Under federal law, when national ambient air quality standards are updated for pollutants like soot, the EPA must designate areas of nonattainment—those not meeting new standards—by a set deadline. These designations help state programs target reductions in dangerous pollution levels.
The EPA’s own estimates indicate that achieving full compliance with the updated standard could prevent thousands of premature deaths each year while reducing emergency room visits and lost workdays. However, shortly after adoption of these stricter limits in 2024, some Republican-led states and business groups challenged them in court.
Oregon’s coalition is asking for both declaratory relief—which would formally recognize that EPA has failed its obligations—and injunctive relief requiring timely designation decisions within 150 days after any court order. Other plaintiffs include attorneys general from California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont, Wisconsin; Washington D.C.; Harris County; and New York City.
