[Imc-dc-editorial] Feature: Spring is Here, DC Must Enforce Anti-Pollution Measures

[old school]

Washington, DC-- The U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency reclassified the Washington region to “severe”
for ozone pollution, a step that will trigger stronger
pollution controls for industries and motor vehicles.
The redesignation was prompted by a federal court
order in a lawsuit brought by Earthjustice on behalf
of the Sierra Club. The residents of DC as well as
those of downwind cities such as New York,
Philadelphia, and Baltimore suffer significant health
threats due to smog pollution generated in the capital
region.

The court order also requires EPA to decide by next
April whether to formally disapprove the DC region's
previous clean air plans, a move that would trigger
legal requirements to redirect transportation spending
from new roads to better mass transit and other
projects that help to reduce pollution.

Ozone is a severe lung irritant that damages lung
tissue and reduces lung function, ultimately inducing
symptoms such as chest pain, nausea, and pulmonary
congestion. During a typical smoggy summer in metro
DC, breathing difficulties send more than 2,400 people
to the emergency room and cause 130,000 asthma
attacks. Last summer the Washington region suffered
from the worst ozone pollution in more than a decade.
There were nine "code red" days, and another 19 "code
orange" days when children were warned to limit
outdoor play. 

http://dc.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=53573&group=webcast

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