How the EPA's rollbacks threaten air quality and public health

By Malihe Razazan,

Published December 8, 2025 at 9:46 AM PST

Clairton Coke Works, which is located near residential areas, converts coal to coke, a material used to make steel. When atmospheric conditions trap air pollution close to the ground, residents are exposed to higher concentrations of toxic chemicals known to cause cancer and other ailments.

On this edition of Your Call’s One Planet Series, we're discussing how the EPA’s rollback of pollution enforcement is affecting frontline communities.

ProPublica's Lisa Song writes that the Trump administration has halted rules requiring more than 130 industrial plants to install air monitors and comply with new emission standards. In a matter of weeks, regulations that took years to enact had been sidestepped in favor of keeping the status quo.

Guest:

Lisa Song, investigative reporter with ProPublica

Resources:

ProPublica: The EPA Let Companies Estimate Their Own Pollution Levels. We Discovered Real Emissions Are Far Worse.

The Washington Post: Breathing dirty air is worse for your health than we thought

Time: Scientists Link U.S. Air Pollution From Oil and Gas To 91,000 Premature Deaths Each Year