EPA, WildEarth Guardians look to settle lawsuit over Utah’s clean-air rules

EPA, group look to settle lawsuit over Utah rules

DENVER — An environmental group and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency are seeking to settle a lawsuit aimed at getting Utah to change its air pollution regulations.

WildEarth Guardians filed a lawsuit in September challenging Utah’s rules, specifically a provision that the group says lets facilities exceed emissions limits when pollution-control equipment breaks down.

The group wants the EPA to tell the state the provision doesn’t comply with the federal Clean Air Act.

In documents filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Denver, the group and EPA propose resolving the lawsuit by having the EPA rule by sometime in 2011 whether Utah needs to revise its rules.

The EPA also would pay nearly $4,600 to settle the group’s claim for costs and attorneys’ fees.