EPA announces updated clean air standards

On December 14th, the EPA finalized an update to national air quality standards regarding fine particulate pollution by setting the annual health standard at 12 micrograms per cubic meter. In the announcement, EPA stressed this would have no effect on agricultural dust standards, which the EPA identifies as coarse particles. While the new standard does not impact agricultural dust, it would cover particles from wildfires, prescribed forest burning, and woodstoves. This new standard is predicted to impact less than 1/3 of one percent of counties in the United States.