January 5, 2017, Seattle, WA
Today, a federal judge in Seattle entered a consent decree imposing a deadline for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to take action to protect Borough residents and their families from breathing polluted air in Fairbanks, Alaska.
Fairbanks residents secure court-supervised EPA action to address the worst spikes of fine particulate matter pollution in the country.
The Fairbanks North Star Borough has the worst spikes in fine particulate matter air pollution in the nation. The type of fine particulate matter pollution prevalent in Fairbanks—2.5 micrometers or less in diameter—has been found to cause a wide range of serious health problems, including asthma attacks, chronic respiratory disease, reduction in lung function, hospitalizations and emergency room visits for cardiopulmonary diseases, cancer, and even premature death. Fine particulate matter air pollution is of particular danger to children, reducing lung development, causing asthma, and impairing the immune system. The elderly and those with chronic disease also face heightened risks.
Of all the areas that fail to meet EPA air quality standards for this pollutant (referred to as PM-2.5 by the EPA), Fairbanks has the worst episodic pollution in the country—with levels spiking to almost double the next most-polluted area and nearly four-times the recommended limit for unhealthy air. Sources of PM-2.5 in Fairbanks include outdoor burning, wood- and coal-burning heating devices, automobiles and other vehicles, and industrial facilities like coal-fired power plants. The air pollution problems have worsened since 2009, when state and municipal officials were first advised that soot and smoke levels in Fairbanks were unhealthy and dangerous.
Today’s consent decree settles a lawsuit brought by Fairbanks community groups to force EPA to approve or disapprove the State of Alaska’s plan to address air pollution in Fairbanks. The state was late in submitting its plan, and then the EPA missed the deadline imposed by the Clean Air Act, which passed on February 18, 2016. The groups have now secured an order from the federal court compelling EPA to perform its duty by the end of August 2017. The agency’s decision on the plan is an important next step in addressing air pollution in the Fairbanks North Star Borough.