Wisconsin Environmental Groups Sue State For Failure To Implement Air Pollution Standards

Our DNR has been transformed into a commercial enterprise under Walker. Damn





Wisconsin Environmental Groups Sue State For Failure To Implement Air Pollution Standards

http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/12/15/3603638/wisconsin-suit-air-pollution-standards/

by Katie Valentine Posted on December 15, 2014 at 1:34 pm



CREDIT: AP Photo / Nick Simonite

Environmental groups in Wisconsin are suing the state’s Department of Natural Resources, claiming that the agency hasn’t done its job in implementing recent federal air pollution regulations.

Clean Wisconsin and Midwest Environmental Defense Center Inc. filed a lawsuit last week that aims to force the DNR to comply with Environmental Protection Agency regulations for sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide and particulates (soot). The EPA updated its rules for sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide in 2010, and its rules for particulate matter in 2012. But according to the groups, Wisconsin hasn’t updated its statewide regulations on these pollutants.

“The protection of the federal Clean Air Act and Wisconsin air pollution statutes are not fully recognized unless and until the Department of Natural Resources undertakes is [sic] legal obligation to implement the law by updating air quality standards,” the groups write in the lawsuit. “The DNR has failed to do so.”

Exposures to the three pollutants cited in the lawsuit can contribute to a range of health effects. Short-term exposure to sulfur dioxide can lead to “an array of adverse respiratory effects,” according to the EPA, including asthma. Nitrogen oxides, which are emitted from cars and fossil-fuel burning power plants, can cause major health problems: exposure to high levels can cause difficulty breathing, throat spasms, headache, fatigue, and even death. Low-level exposure can cause irritation of the eyes and throat, fatigue, shortness of breath, and nausea. Particulate pollution has been linked to respiratory problems, heart attacks, and irregular heartbeat.

The DNR’s failure to act on the new standards has come “despite finding sufficient time and resources to adopt numerous other regulations at the behest of polluters,” the groups write. ................