Wednesday’s lawsuit was filed by four environmental organizations against the Environmental Protection Agency. They claim that the agency has failed to enforce the Clean Air Acts Regional Haze Rule.
In 2017, the EPA amended the rule, extending the time frame in which states can submit plans to reduce air pollution up to July 2021. According to the lawsuit however, 34 states have not yet submitted their plans as of April 20,22.
All states are required by the rule to develop regional plans to reduce air pollution that causes visibility problems in national parks, wildlife refuges, and other wilderness areas. The rule’s text states that the EPA must issue a decision on failure to submit to states within six month of the deadline. That deadline would have been Jan. 31 this year.
The suit demands that Michael Regan, EPA Administrator, immediately enforce the rule for the 34 state. The agency announced earlier this month that it will find certain states not having submitted their documents by August 31. This announcement extends however[ed]According to the lawsuit, the deadline was not legally enforceable.
The Center for Biological Diversity and Environmental Defense Fund are the plaintiffs in the lawsuit.
Coal burning power stations are the main cause of soot and other smog that causes hazy skies. The thirty-four states that did not submit pollution reduction plans as required by this lawsuit, Holly Bender, Senior Director, Energy Campaigns at Sierra Club, stated in a statement.
Administrator Regan must take action to ensure that the failure of these states to regulate polluting substances is not a gain for utilities at the cost of public health and the achievement of clean air on public lands. The EPA is responsible for enforcing the law and ensuring justice for the communities affected by sooty and smog.
A spokesperson from the EPA declined comment to The Hill
