CHICAGO — The city of Chicago and the Illinois attorney general have filed a lawsuit against the federal government over a new rule that they say does not reduce dangerous smog in and around Illinois.
The lawsuit filed in the U.S. Court of Appeals for District of Columbia, alleges the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) designated several Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin counties as in "attainment" so that they do not need to take steps to reduce smog, even though the counties were not in compliance with ozone and air quality. According to Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, the designation allows the future site of a $10 billion Foxconn electronics manufacturing plant to avoid meeting stricter standards for smog control.
“The U.S. EPA is ignoring its own scientific data in order to put industry profits ahead of the public’s health,” Madigan said in a statement. “I am challenging this arbitrary EPA decision because it will harm Illinois residents and the environment.”
“With the proposed manufacturing facility less than 90 miles away, Chicago has legitimate concerns about the Trump administration loosening pollution regulations that can impact our environment and our residents’ health,” corporate counsel Ed Siskel added. “We are joining with the attorney general to raise the alarm about the decision and to send a strong message to the EPA that it has an obligation to protect our environment.”