Fourteen states sued the Environmental Protection Agency Thursday for missing an Oct. 1 deadline to update a national map of areas with unhealthy levels of smog, alleging the agency's negligence is driving up healthcare costs and harming public health, according to a report from SFGate.
The EPA is required by law to update a national map every two years reporting areas with unhealthy levels of ozone for children and people with lung disease. It can delay issuing updates on air quality for up to one year if it needs more data from states; however, all states have submitted the data necessary, according to the report.
On Nov. 6, the EPA reported a list of areas not violating federal ozone standards. It said it would update noncompliant areas in another list at a later date, according to the report.
In the lawsuit, the states allege the areas currently undesignated by the EPA contain more than half the population.
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