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Los Angeles has smog--lots of it--and the Environmental Protection Agency is taking some legal heat for it. A federal lawsuit filed yesterday calls out the EPA for essentially not doing enough to crack down on our polluted air.
The suit contends the EPA missed a May deadline to, in effect, determine whether the ozone level in the region is hazardous to public health. Such a determination could trigger tougher limits on pollution from cars, trucks, ships and refineries.
The suit was filed by a number of advocacy groups, including Physicians for Social Responsibility-Los Angeles, Desert Citizens Against Pollution, Communities for a Better Environment and the Natural Resources Defense Council.
The EPA making timely assessments about the state of our air helps other agencies get to work on making policy and plans to combat pollution. For example, "if the EPA were to determine that the region does not meet the national standard, then the South Coast Air Quality Management District, the basin's regulatory agency, would have one year to submit a clean-up plan."
Los Angeles often tops lists of Smoggiest Cities in the nation. Recently, a study showed that--harm to lungs and heart aside--smog could also cause depression and memory loss.
