Los Angeles gets 5 more years to clean its air. Its residents get 5 more years of dirty air.

US environmental regulators just pushed back the deadline for Los Angeles to meet federal air quality standards. The region now has until 2030 instead of 2025 to reduce fine particulate pollution.

The South Coast of California, including Los Angeles, has some of the worst air quality in the country. This extension means millions of people will continue to breathe air that fails federal health standards for an additional five years. It also shows how difficult it is for even wealthy, technologically advanced regions to meet basic environmental goals.