PROVIDENCE – R.I. Attorney General Peter F. Kilmartin has joined attorneys general from 12 states and the District of Columbia in a lawsuit against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for failing to meet the Clean Air Act’s statutory deadline for designating areas of the country impacted by unhealthy levels of ground-level ozone, most commonly known as smog, Kilmartin announced Friday.
Kilmartin joined with attorneys general from California, Connecticut, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Washington and the District of Columbia. Minnesota joined the lawsuit by and through its Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.
“We gave Director Pruitt and the EPA the benefit of the doubt that they would do the right thing and follow the law, but once again, they have failed to do so,” said Kilmartin in a statement. “Clearly their promise to make good on implementing the smog designations as required under the Clean Air Act was a politically-calculated delay tactic. We cannot and will not sit idly by as the EPA’s inaction continues to threaten the health and safety of our citizens.”
Chris Bergenheim is the PBN web editor.
