Alaska groups sue EPA to enforce clean air laws in Fairbanks
Alaska groups sue EPA to enforce clean air laws in Fairbanks
By DAN JOLING
2 hours ago
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Three Alaska groups sued Friday to demand the Environmental Protection Agency enforce the cleanup of some of the nation’s most polluted winter air around the state’s second-largest city.
The lawsuit filed in Seattle by environmental law firm Earthjustice says the state of Alaska has failed to submit a legally compliant plan to address the problem of particulate pollution caused by wood-burning stoves and other sources in the Fairbanks area. It urges the U.S. agency to set a deadline for a state cleanup plan and impose a federal proposal with stricter requirements if Alaska does not act within the timeframe.
“We’ve been waiting for over 10 years for action that results in cleaner air,” Patrice Lee of Citizens for Clean Air, one of the groups suing, said in a statement.
Suzanne Skadowski, a spokeswoman for the EPA in Seattle, said she could not respond immediately to the lawsuit but that agency staff members have put a lot of time, effort and resources into helping the state and Fairbanks seek cleaner air.
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