Ohio legislators propose removing air quality rule that allows citizens to sue over pollution

Ohio Republicans in Congress want to remove an air quality regulation related to the type of recourse people have when it comes to pollution in Ohio (Source: “Ohio lawmakers want to remove air nuisance rule that allows citizen suits over pollution violations,” Dayton Daily News, March 17).

The air nuisance rule is part of Ohio’s State Implementation Plan under the federal Clean Air Act. It limits the emission of harmful gases and allows citizens to file suits in federal court to enforce the Clean Air Act themselves if they believe a business or other entity has violated the act.

“I’ve introduced a resolution to reverse this bad-faith policy because it hurts Ohioans and does nothing to improve our air quality,” U.S. Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio, said about Senate Joint Resolution 29.

Lawmakers say there’s enough recourse available for citizens under private nuisance laws within Ohio’s administrative code, but proponents of the regulation say it’s an added resource to enforce the federal Clean Air Act through federal court.