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Legal professional Normal Tong Helps EPA Discovering on Leaded Aviation Gasoline

January 18, 2023

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01/18/2023

Legal professional Normal Tong Helps EPA Discovering on Leaded Aviation Gasoline

(Hartford, CT) — Legal professional Normal William Tong at present joined a multistate coalition of 12 attorneys basic supporting the Environmental Safety Company (EPA) proposed discovering that emissions from the combustion of leaded aviation gasoline (avgas) in piston-engine planes trigger or contribute to air air pollution that endangers public well being and welfare. If finalized, the long-overdue discovering would require the EPA to promulgate lead emission requirements and rules for piston-engine planes below the Clear Air Act, and require the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to ascertain plane gas requirements which might be per the plane lead emission requirements. In a remark letter, the attorneys basic urge EPA to swiftly finalize its proposed discovering and begin its rulemaking course of to guard the general public – particularly environmental justice communities located close to airports for piston-engine planes – from publicity to steer air air pollution.

“Leaded aviation fuel from piston-engine planes is the only worst contributor of airborne lead emissions in the US. Unleaded gas choices can be found, and this public well being hazard is totally preventable. I be part of with attorneys basic from throughout the nation in full assist of EPA’s efforts to expedite the transition to protected gas sources for all plane,” mentioned Legal professional Normal Tong.

The unfavorable well being impacts of lead publicity are well-documented. Quick-term and extended lead publicity could cause reminiscence loss, nausea, fatigue, and improve the chance of creating hypertension, coronary heart illness, kidney illness, and infertility. Lead publicity is especially harmful for kids, whose creating brains and nervous programs are extra delicate to its damaging results. The impacts of lead publicity in youngsters embody behavioral points, diminished IQ, slowed physique progress, and a predisposition to despair, anxiousness, or high-risk habits. There’s widespread scientific consensus that there isn’t any protected degree of lead publicity for kids.

The coalition has a vested curiosity in defending their residents from lead emissions from piston-engine airplanes. Leaded avgas is the one remaining lead-containing transportation gas, and its combustion is the only largest contributor of airborne lead emissions in the US. Piston-engine planes powered by leaded avgas launched greater than 930,000 kilos of lead in 2017 and are liable for practically three-quarters of complete lead emissions nationwide.

Normal aviation airports that service these planes are sometimes situated close to densely populated metropolitan areas, communities impacted by environmental hazards and dangers, and residential areas close to properties and faculties.

A lot, if not all, of the lead emissions from piston-engine planes may very well be averted. In 2014, the FAA launched the Piston Aviation Fuels Initiative (PAFI) to hurry up the “deployment of essentially the most promising unleaded replacements,” however regardless of FAA’s certification of varied unleaded fuels, together with two current gas replacements appropriate for practically all piston-engine planes, these unleaded aviation fuels haven’t efficiently penetrated the market. Lower than three p.c of U.S. airports that service piston-engine planes promote unleaded alternate options.

Within the remark letter, the attorneys basic assist EPA’s proposed discovering and urge the company to swiftly situation a remaining endangerment dedication and provoke a rulemaking to control lead emissions from avgas. Within the remark letter, the attorneys basic argue:

· States have a vested curiosity in defending their residents from the general public well being harms related to publicity to steer air pollution from piston-engine planes that use leaded avgas;
· Leaded avgas is a big and preventable supply of airborne lead air pollution; and
· EPA should swiftly finalize its proposed discovering and handle the intense public well being and environmental justice harms posed by avgas in a rulemaking for plane lead emissions.

Legal professional Normal Tong joins the attorneys basic of California, the District of Columbia, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Vermont, and Wisconsin in submitting the feedback.

A duplicate of the letter will be discovered right here.

Assistant Legal professional Normal Daniel Salton and Matthew Levine, Deputy Affiliate Legal professional Normal/Chief of the Setting Part are aiding the Legal professional Normal on this matter.

Twitter: @AGWilliamTong

Fb: CT Legal professional Normal