FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 3, 2018
CONTACT: Renner Barsella, rennerbarsella@sierraclub.org, 217-390-9394
US EPA Failing to Protect Milwaukee Area Air from Ozone Smog, Sierra Club Sues
Milwaukee, WI - This morning the Sierra Club filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in Washington D.C. federal circuit court to challenge a decision that fails to protect residents in the Milwaukee area, and counties around the country from hazardous ozone, or smog, pollution.
Smog is a dangerous air pollutant that contributes to serious health problems such as asthma attacks, heart attacks, and premature deaths. The EPA last revised the national ambient air quality standard in 2015. Having done so, EPA was required to study air quality data from across the United States to determine which areas were experiencing unsafe levels of smog, and which areas were contributing to those unsafe smog levels. Despite evidence indicating that dangerous levels of smog impact counties in the Milwaukee area, and that area emissions contribute to that problem, the EPA failed to designate the full area as falling short of the standards. Sierra Club is suing to ensure the EPA does it’s job and steps up to protect the families who have been put at risk because of this pollution.
In response to today’s news, Bill Davis of the Sierra Club released the following statement:
"Wisconsinites should be able to trust that officials will do their job and keep their air safe from dangerous pollution. This is an area already in crisis because of pollution from nearby coal plants and other big polluters. When corporate owners like We Energies, MGE, and Foxconn put the health of families at risk, it’s the EPA’s job to enforce the law. If the EPA doesn’t do their job we will do everything we can to ensure they are held responsible.”
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