SAN FRANCISCO (CN) - The Environmental Protection Agency is endangering the lungs of Imperial Valley residents by refusing to enforce national air quality standards, a nonprofit group claims in Federal Court.
The Comite Cívico del Valle says the EPA is delaying a decision on whether the district's new air quality rules comply with the Clean Air Act.
The Committee claims residents of Imperial Valley "are adversely affected by exposure to levels of air pollution" that exceed standards established by the Clean Air Act. Pollution in the hot, arid valley includes fine particles of dust, soot and fumes, caused by "unpaved roads, windblown dust, waste burning and disposal, construction and demolition and fuel combustion."
The Committee asks the court to compel the EPA to act on the rules, and impose sanctions on the EPA's regional district and the state if the Valley's air pollution levels do not adhere to federal standards.
Plaintiffs are represented by Gideon Kracov of Los Angeles.
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