SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — The Washington Department of Ecology says improvements need to be made now instead of waiting for a plan to clean up PCBs in the Spokane River.
Two environmental groups say they intend to sue the Environmental Protection Agency for failing to require the state to prepare a cleanup plan for PCBs. Sierra Club and the Center for Environmental Law & Policy say the state is sidestepping the Clean Water Act by issuing new pollution permits without one.
Jani Gilbert of the Ecology Department says a water quality improvement plan could take years to complete and changes need to be made now.
An EPA spokesman said the agency could not comment on pending litigation.
The two groups said they will file suit after 60 days if the EPA fails to act.
