Coalition Sues EPA for Failure To Enforce Clean Air Protections in Alaska

May 20, 2014- A coalition of Fairbanks residents and community groups took legal action against the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in April, citing failures to protect clean air and public health in Alaska by not enforcing components of the Clean Air Act.

In Fairbanks, air pollution levels exceed health-based standards. The Clean Air Act obligates state officials to submit a plan detailing how they will address the problem. The law requires states to prepare their plans in three years or less, but the State of Alaska has yet to submit a plan more than four years after deadly air pollution levels were identified in Fairbanks, the coalition says. The EPA has a responsibility to compel states to submit overdue plans.

“Children are the most vulnerable to harm caused by the air pollution in Fairbanks,” said Pamela K. Miller, Executive Director of Alaska Community Action on Toxics. “Studies show that our children are in grave danger from the severe air pollution — they are susceptible to more frequent asthma attacks, their lungs may be unable to develop fully, their energy for learning, exercise, and play is diminished, and their lives are shortened by degenerative heart failure.”

The lawsuit was filed in federal district court by environmental law firm Earthjustice’s Alaska office.

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