The Commissioner of Connecticut's Department of Energy and Environmental Protection was in Washington, D.C. Thursday advocating for more controls on air pollution carried by prevailing winds into the Northeast.
In 2013, Connecticut and other northeastern and mid-Atlantic states petitioned the EPA to more tightly regulate emissions from upwind states like West Virginia.
But the EPA recently issued a draft ruling rejecting that request, opening up a period of public comment, which drew DEEP Commissioner Rob Klee to Washington.
Speaking to reporters after his testimony, Klee said Connecticut residents breathe unhealthy air, which isn't their fault.
"About 90 percent of the pollution that we experience in Connecticut, in ozone pollution, comes from other places -- upwind states," Klee said. "We are downwind from almost everyone else."
A final ruling is expected soon.
Klee said if the administration does go ahead and reject the petition -- he plans to pursue the matter in federal court.
