Climate alert: E.P.A. to stop considering lives saved when setting air pollution rules

January 12, 2026

BREAKING NEWS

Plumes of white smoke pour from several smokestacks at a coal-burning power plant.

The change could make it easier to repeal limits on pollutants from coal-burning power plants, oil refineries, steel mills and other industrial facilities. Alyssa Schukar for The New York Times

E.P.A. to Stop Considering Lives Saved When Setting Rules on Air Pollution

	By Maxine Joselow

For decades, the Environmental Protection Agency has calculated the health benefits of reducing air pollution, using the cost estimates of avoided asthma attacks and premature deaths to justify clean-air rules.

Not anymore.

Under President Trump, the E.P.A. plans to stop tallying gains from the health benefits caused by curbing two of the most widespread deadly air pollutants, fine particulate matter and ozone, when regulating industry, according to internal agency emails and documents reviewed by The New York Times.

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