Deep Dive: Is the Recent Federal Clean Air Progress We Made Undone Now?

In 2023 and 2024, the federal government finalized clean air protections that save lives, improve public health and reduce climate pollution. The Lung Association advocated hard for these substantial wins. However, these safeguards now face multiple threats, including executive actions and potential funding cuts. We outline what’s at stake, some of the efforts to weaken clean air protections and how you can take action to defend them below.

Recent federal clean air rules and investments at stake include:

• Stronger Particulate Matter Standards: Fine particulate matter, also known as soot, can travel deep into the lungs and bloodstream, leading to heart attacks, strokes, lung illnesses and premature death. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized stronger particulate matter standards in 2024. As a result, thousands of lives will be saved annually.
• Cleaner Cars and Cleaner Trucks Rules: Rules established in 2024 will dramatically reduce carbon emissions and air pollutants from new cars and trucks. These stricter standards for vehicle pollution will cut down on chemicals and pollutants that harm the lungs and degrade the environment. Research has proven that traffic-related air pollution is linked to higher rates of asthma, lung disease, and even premature death. Cleaner vehicles mean healthier air for everyone, particularly children and communities already suffering from poor air quality.
• Measures to Clean Up Pollution from the Oil and Gas Industry: Methane, also known as natural gas, is a potent greenhouse gas. When it leaks or is burned off by the oil and gas industry, it leads to emissions that harm health – even causing cancer. New measures target methane leaks and seek to prevent harmful emissions from entering the atmosphere and reduce the risks associated with exposure to other toxic air pollutants released alongside methane. This rule helps protect people's health, especially for those living near oil and gas wells and equipment.
• Limits on Mercury and Carbon Emissions from Power Plants: Mercury is a toxic pollutant from power plants that gets into our water and food supply. Exposure to high levels can cause serious health issues, including neurological damage and developmental problems in children. New rules limit mercury emissions from power plants and set stringent carbon limits on power plants, which will reduce the amount of harmful pollutants released into the air.

Several executive orders issued by the White House in January 2025 touched on clean air and climate-related issues, including some of these rules. An executive order is a directive from the President that does not require congressional approval but can shape policy, direct federal agencies, and be challenged in court or overturned by future administrations. However, it’s not the same as a federal rule; it’s more of a directive to shape future federal agencies’ work. For example, the January batch included an order that seeks to fast-track fossil fuels projects including coal, oil, and methane and weaken environmental protections. But implementing it requires additional steps from agencies. Another order contains language that it is the administration’s policy to “eliminate the electric vehicle mandate.” No such mandate exists in current law, however.

Good News: Regulations Can’t Be Undone by Executive Order

Despite the recent executive orders, regulations cannot simply be erased with the stroke of a pen. To repeal a rule, a federal agency must justify the change, allow public input, and go through a lengthy review process. Even after approval, legal challenges can block or overturn the repeal. This process takes months or even years, just like the creation of the original rule.

Can Congress Roll Back Clean Air Rules?

Congress generally has a specific process for overturning recent federal rules, but our priority clean air protections fall outside the time limit allowed for using that process. Some members of Congress have proposed extending this timeframe, but that would require them to pass a new bill. The clean air rules above are safe from this threat for now.

The Threats Clean Air Progress Still Faces

While the clean air protections we secured are still on the books, much work remains to defend them. Fully implementing and enforcing these rules requires that EPA have the funding and staff it needs, both of which are under threat.

Moreover, Congress is considering slashing funding for the clean air programs made through the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). These investments in clean electricity, clean vehicles and community air pollution cleanup are crucial. They go hand-in-hand with the rules noted above to protect people’s health from air pollution. Halting them would set back our progress in the fight for clean air and a healthier future.