The Environmental Protection Agency announced a plan to reduce the annual maximum ceiling for fine particulates, a major cause of smog, in the atmosphere.  The new standard would set the level at 12 to 13 micrograms per cubic square foot of air, a decrease from the current maximum level of 15 micrograms.  This change will result in new regulations, which will primarily affect the energy and manufacturing industries. The Clean Air Act requires the E.P.A. to reconsider its particulate standards every five years, but the agency delayed doing so until June, when the District Court for the District of Columbia… Read more