Environmental Justice Organizations File Suit, Challenge Five Alabama Air Permits

  • Organizations allege Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM) did not comply with procedural requirements in issuing the five Clean Air Act Title V permits.
  • Environmental justice communities complain the issuance of these permits did not comply with Title V’s public participation requirements or the prohibition against disparate impacts under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act.

By: JDSupra | January 20, 2023

Five environmental organizations filed a Petition (“Petition”) requesting that the United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) Administrator object to the issuance of Title V Renewal Permits (“Permits”) [for five Alabama facilities]…

The Petition raises what it categorizes as three types of objections which it asks that ADEM address in the future that include:

1. provide the information required and necessary for meaningful public participation in the Title V permitting process,

2. provide meaningful consideration of the environmental justice impacts of Title V permits and ADEM’s permitting process,

3. carefully review the permit terms to ensure they contain all applicable requirements and comply with the Act, especially terms included to avoid major source requirements, as well as specific monitoring, recordkeeping and reporting sufficiently to ensure compliance with those important terms….

Read more from JDSupra.