The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced recently that it has formally determined that Detroit, Mich., did not meet air quality standards pertaining to sulfur dioxide by the required deadline.
EPA states in the Jan. 28 announcement that the determination was anticipated by the state of Michigan. EPA states a court finding required the agency to make the determination if Detroit met air quality standards, in accordance with the federal Clean Air Act, by the 2018 deadline.
The determination allows EPA to propose a Federal Implementation Plan for sulfur dioxide pollution reduction in the area, rather than a state plan. EPA reports federal intervention was necessitated when a state court overturned a Michigan rule to enforce pollution reductions at the U.S. Steel facility in 2017.
“EPA’s upcoming action, which we are making in close coordination with the state of Michigan, will reduce sulfur dioxide pollution in Detroit,” EPA Region 5 Administrator Debra Shore said in the announcement.
The agency reports it worked with the state, at the state's request, in 2018 to address sulfur dioxide emissions in Wayne County. The request was made after U.S. Steel, the primary source of sulfur dioxide emissions in the area, refused to install additional pollutant controls at its plants. A state rule designed to limit toxic emissions was also blocked by a lower court, the announcement states.
The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) director Liesl Clark said its work with EPA has resulted in significantly lower levels of S02 "in a community that for too long has borne the unnecessary burden of this pollutant."
“We are pleased that our air quality monitors are showing the positive impacts of this hard work and that citizens can begin to see the benefits of the air quality that they deserve,” Clark said in the announcement.
EPA states the proposed Federal Implementation Plan should be available for public comment later this year. The public will have opportunity to review the plan and comment on it before it is finalized, according to the announcement.
"This means everyone in the area will breathe cleaner, healthier air, which is especially helpful for vulnerable populations and overburdened communities,” Shore said.
