ALLEGAN, MI (WHTC-AM/FM, May 23, 2023) – It wasn’t the news that Jim Storey wanted to hear.
Last week, the US Environmental Protection Agency rejected a request to reconsider labeling western Allegan County as a non-attainment area for air quality. Earlier this year, the federal entity claimed that pollutants were higher than federal maximums, based on data from an air quality station off of 32nd Street in Laketown Township.
US House Representative Bill Huizenga had sent a letter to EPA officials requesting a second opinion on the ruling, claiming that the pollutants were wafting over from the western shore of Lake Michigan instead of being created locally, and that a more accurate reading could be made if the air quality station was moved further inland, as it is in neighboring Ottawa County.
If the EPA ruling stands, it could mean sanctions that would adversely affect residents and businesses, according to Storey, a Holland Republican who chairs the Allegan County Board of Commissioners.
Storey added that no cost has yet been estimated to Allegan citizens for any sanctions EPA may issue.
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