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(KSL News) -- For the first time in 10 years the Environmental Protection Agency is releasing new, stricter air guidelines.
The "particulate matter" the EPA is regulating are small, airborne particles created by exhaust and smokestacks that penetrate lungs and are blamed for 60-thousand deaths a year.
The proposed new standards could force industries to spend billions of dollars to clean up coal-burning power plants, diesel-powered equipment, trucks and industrial boilers.
But environmental groups say it's not enough. They're concerned the EPA is bowing to pressure from industry groups.
Frank O'Donnell, Clean Air Watch: "What the EPA is doing on paper, making it look like the standards are better, but the industry won't have to clean up any more."
The new standards come on the heels of a study from New York University, showing the strongest evidence yet that long-term exposure to air pollution can cause heart disease.
