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Connecticut Makes One More Pitch For "Upwind" Pollution Controls

Dave Sizer
/
Creative Commons

The Commissioner of Connecticut's Department of Energy and Environmental Protection was in Washington, D.C. Thursday advocating for more controls on air pollution carried by prevailing winds into the Northeast.

In 2013, Connecticut and other northeastern and mid-Atlantic states petitioned the EPA to more tightly regulate emissions from upwind states like West Virginia.

But the EPA recently issued a draft ruling rejecting that request, opening up a period of public comment, which drew DEEP Commissioner Rob Klee to Washington.

Speaking to reporters after his testimony, Klee said Connecticut residents breathe unhealthy air, which isn't their fault.

"About 90 percent of the pollution that we experience in Connecticut, in ozone pollution, comes from other places -- upwind states," Klee said. "We are downwind from almost everyone else."

A final ruling is expected soon.

Klee said if the administration does go ahead and reject the petition -- he plans to pursue the matter in federal court.

Patrick Skahill is a reporter and digital editor at Connecticut Public. Prior to becoming a reporter, he was the founding producer of Connecticut Public Radio's The Colin McEnroe Show, which began in 2009. Patrick's reporting has appeared on NPR's Morning Edition, Here & Now, and All Things Considered. He has also reported for the Marketplace Morning Report. He can be reached at pskahill@ctpublic.org.

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