Associated Press - October 9, 2009 11:24 AM ET
PRESTON, Idaho (AP) - Federal environmental regulators say Franklin County is not meeting clean air benchmarks for fine particle pollution.
The Environmental Protection Agency identified the eastern Idaho county Thursday as 1 of several nationwide for being out of compliance.
An EPA spokesman tells the Idaho State Journal that a preliminary study shows the main sources of the pollution are wood-burning stoves and the chemical reaction that occurs between ammonia from big cattle operations and vehicle exhaust.
In 2006, the EPA published new standards for fine particle pollution and asked states to identify potential problem areas.
The federal Clean Air Act allows states three years to submit a plan for dealing with the pollution and another two years to put the plan in place and meet standards.
The decision is based on data gathered since 2005.
Information from: Idaho State Journal, http://www.journalnet.com
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
