© 2024 Kansas City Public Radio
NPR in Kansas City
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Clean Air Complaint: Where's Brotherhood in Federal Fight?

By Dan Verbeck, KCUR News

Kansas City, MO – We'll fight on our own!

The Missouri Department of Natural Resources wants to join a suit trying to stop federal ozone restrictions for the entire country. Doyle Childers, the DNR director, is miffed that the state attorney general won't agree to take the lead in the fight. Childers says that Jay Nixon's staff has asked for more information. However, time is too short and the timing to join the lawsuit is critical.

"I'm only conjecturing that his idea is, if we do nothing maybe we're just on the sidelines and nobody has anything to say about it and they don't make anyone mad", says Childers.

Kansas City stands to be put in a tough spot over ozone levels if the new regulations go into effect. Childers says this area experiences naturally occurring, biogenic, and not exclusively man-made ozone and the new regs don't recognize this. Staff at the Missouri Attorney General's Office say they need more information to make a proper decision on the lawsuit that originated with the state of Mississippi. Childers says the new regulations will result in burdensome regulations on industry.

KCUR serves the Kansas City region with breaking news and award-winning podcasts.
Your donation helps keep nonprofit journalism free and available for everyone.