WASHINGTON (MCT) — A federal appeals court Tuesday struck down a key Obama administration air pollution rule meant to protect residents of some states from polluters in neighboring states, saying that the Environmental Protection Agency must grant states more time to implement protections.

The ruling by two George W. Bush appointees covers the “good neighbor rule” issued by the EPA in mid-2011 to regulate emissions of pollutants, including sulfur dioxide and nitrous oxides, the main ingredients in soot and smog.