Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin announced the agency is revisiting the Biden PM2.5 National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS), which has raised serious concerns from states across the country and served as a major obstacle to permitting.  “All Americans deserve to breathe clean air while pursuing the American dream. Under President Trump, we will ensure air quality standards for particulate matter are protective of human health and the environment while we unleash the Golden Age of American prosperity,” said EPA Administrator Zeldin.  EPA is also announcing that it will soon release guidance to increase flexibility on NAAQS implementation, reforms to New Source Review, and direction on permitting obligations. This suite of actions advances cooperative federalism and begins to undo red tape holding back American exceptionalism. The U.S. has some of the lowest fine particulate matter levels in the world. Between 2000 and 2023, average PM2.5 concentrations in the U.S. fell by 37 percent and average PM10 concentrations similarly fell by 36 percent. This action is significant for California where at least seven areas were deemed non-attainment for the new 9 ug/m3 PM2.5 standard and would have had a very difficult time meeting this new standard.