Abstract
In 2006, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency strengthened the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for 24-hour fine particulate air pollution (PM2.5). A large portion of the Fairbanks North Star Borough, encompassing the cities of Fairbanks and North Pole, was designated a Clean Air Act nonattainment area under the revised PM2.5 standards. Wood smoke from home heating was found to be one of the primary culprits, particularly during strong inversions that trap air pollution at ground level. This Article reviews the complex legal history of federal, state, and local efforts to bring the Fairbanks area into compliance with the NAAQS. With the EPA’s recent approval of Alaska’s State Implementation Plan, Fairbanks and regulators alike may soon be breathing easier.
Citation
Caleb T. Anderson,
Where There’s Fire, There’s Smoke: Regulation of Fine Particulate Air Pollution in the Fairbanks North Star Borough,
42 Alaska Law Review
93-124
(2026)
Available at: https://scholarship.law.duke.edu/alr/vol42/iss1/4