U.S. Rep. Ruben Gallego last week announced that he sent a letter to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency asking officials there to not punish Yuma city officials for air pollution.
Congressman Gallego, who is running for the U.S. Senate, said he asked EPA officials to work with the City of Yuma "to ensure that PM10 particulate matter standards are effectively targeting air pollution at the source."
Gallego said Yuma’s location on the U.S.-Mexico border means that much of the city’s air pollution is outside of its control.
In his letter to the EPA, the congressman wrote “extreme federal responses to noncompliance could threaten the city’s potential for business and economic development – which would be a detriment to the entire Yuma region – and an agricultural sector that provides much of the produce consumed in the United States throughout the winter months.”
In a released statement, Yuma Mayor Doug Nicholls advocated for collaboration between EPA and Yuma officials to protect Yuma's air quality.
