The agency designated the Fairbanks North Star Borough as out of compliance with federal air standards in November 2009. Particulate can be trapped by inversions, layers of warmer air that cap cold, dirty air and keep it from dissipating. Citizens for Clean Air, Alaska Community Action on Toxics and the Sierra Club have previously sued three times to demand enforcement of deadlines under federal clean air laws. The latest lawsuit asks a judge to compel the EPA to find that Alaska has failed to submit a serious plan to address the air in Fairbanks. A federal plan carries the threat of sanctions and additional permit requirements for new pollution sources.

Source: ABC News December 14, 2018 23:37 UTC