From: Courthouse News Service
“As public interest organizations, the plaintiffs argued that delays in reporting of accidental emissions make their job of raising community awareness harder — causing harm when communities aren’t warned in time of dangerous, unseen chemical emissions. “This ruling vindicates a community’s basic right to know what chemical insult has been visited upon it,” said Paula Dinerstein, general counsel for co-plaintiff Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility. “Accidents do not relieve industries of their clean air obligations or their duties to protect both worker and public health.”