Air Quality advocates continue to press the Environmental Protection Agency to address Fairbanks area fine particulate pollution. Representing air quality groups, the law firm Earth Justice notified the EPA this week of intent to sue. Earth Justice Attorney Kenta Tsuda said the action is aimed at forcing the agency to take past due actions.
“The EPA missed its deadline to give notice that Fairbanks has failed to attain its air quality standards as of the attainment date. That attainment date was December 31, 2015,” Tsuda said. “And then the EPA must give notice that the borough has been accordingly been downgraded to this serious unattainment category. And as a result, it will have to do more to ensure that it gets into compliance with those national standards.”
It’s the 3rd time since 2014, that Earth Justice, the Sierra Club, and Fairbanks based Citizens For Clean Air, have sued the agency over Fairbanks- North Pole area air quality. The 2 earlier suits involve a State of Alaska fine particulate pollution reduction plan.
“The first suit was successful in the sense that it helped to prompt submission of the plan ultimately,” Tsuda said. “The second suit to reach a determination about whether it was sufficient as as an air quality plan is ongoing.”
The notice issued this week says the groups will file the additional suit in 60 days if there’s no action by the EPA.
Dan Bross is a reporter at KUAC in Fairbanks.
