EPA is already facing legal challenges to its landmark rule banning asbestos, from both industry opponents and advocates who say it doesn’t go far enough.
The Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization filed a petition in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit on Friday, alleging the rule has unnecessarily long phase-out timelines and lacks protections for certain workers and communities still at risk of exposure to chrysotile asbestos, the only type of asbestos still used in the U.S.
“Our legal action is not oppositional; it is a proactive call for the EPA to strengthen the rule so it better protects Americans from the known dangers of asbestos,” ADAO President Linda Reinstein said in a statement.
Last week, the American Chemistry Council and its state affiliates in Georgia, Ohio and Texas filed complaints in the 11th, 5th and 6th circuits, respectively, with potentially more complaints on the way.
