A unanimous federal appeals court panel rejects a bid by the Trump administration’s Environmental Protection Agency to abandon a Biden-era rule that restricts fine soot, or “PM2.5,” emissions. The ruling keeps in place standards adopted in 2024 covering pollution from coal-fired power plants, factories and other industrial sources. The decision means the EPA must continue applying the emissions limits established under the earlier framework rather than replacing or withdrawing them. The court’s action is described across sources as a setback for the administration’s broader deregulatory agenda and its efforts to make it easier for certain polluting industries to operate with fewer environmental constraints. Reporting characterizes the soot rule as targeting a component of air pollution associated with serious health risks, and notes that the affected categories include facilities that emit soot during industrial processes and electricity generation. With the appeals court decision, the rule remains operative while any further legal steps would require additional proceedings.