FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. -- A group of environmentalists has sued the federal government in an effort to force a declaration on the source of air pollution over national parks and wilderness areas in the West.
The lawsuit, filed Wednesday, contends that emissions from two coal-fired power plants on the Navajo Nation and a third in Washington state have obscured views at places like the Grand Canyon, Mesa Verde and Mount Rainier.
The nine groups have accused the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Interior Department of unreasonably delaying a response to petitions for formal certification of visibility impairment.
"If DOI and DOA were to grant plaintiffs' petitions, large sources of air pollution that are presently causing visibility impairment in many national parks and wilderness areas would more likely be required to reduce their emissions," the lawsuit said. It was filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency already is addressing visibility impairment under a 1999 regional haze rule that covers air pollutants from sources over a wide geographic area.
Read full article here: http://www.seattlepi.com/local/6420ap_az_parks_air_pollution.html
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