Our Legacy of Victory
Industrial Air Pollutants Lawsuit: Clean Wisconsin v. EPA
A legal case brought by Clean Wisconsin against the EPA in 2017 forced the agency to adopt new health standards for more than a dozen harmful industrial sources including tire, plywood and fiberglass facilities. Clean Wisconsin filed the lawsuit after the EPA missed legally required deadlines to review the health threats and pollution control technologies as required by the Clean Air Act. In its ruling, the court required the EPA update its air pollution rules for seven of the industrial sources by 2018 and the remaining six by 2020.
Case Details
Clean Wisconsin and three other environmental groups sued the EPA in February 2016 for missing legally required deadlines to protect public health from toxic air pollution.
To protect public health and safety, the Clean Air Act requires EPA to regularly review the health and environmental hazards faced by people who live near major industrial sources. The agency also has a duty to review the latest best available pollution control technologies. The EPA was years overdue in fulfilling its legal duty to protect people from industrial sources of toxic air pollution. Clean Wisconsin and the other environmental groups — Blue Ridge Environmental Council, Sierra Club and Midwest Environmental Defense Center — asked the court to ensure EPA complete its required rule making to strengthen national health protections, many of which were especially needed to protect people in Wisconsin.
As a result of the Court’s decision the EPA was required to review health threats and technological updates and strengthen air standards to protect protect public health and ensure no local communities are left behind as pollution reduction methods advance in some parts of the U.S. The EPA had a deadline to enact new standards for seven industrial sources by Dec. 31, 2018, and until June 30, 2020 for the remaining six.
Why It Matters
Without updated standards for the industrial sources in question, countless Americans and Wisconsinites were at risk of adverse health outcomes because of harmful air pollution. By forcing the EPA to update its health standards, Clean Wisconsin helped alleviate some of the burden Wisconsinites who live near these facilities faced on a daily basis.
