The U.S. government can keep using chemical retardant dropped from aircraft to fight wildfires, despite finding that the practice pollutes streams in western states in violation of federal law, a judge ruled Friday.
BILLINGS, Mont. —
Government officials say chemical fire retardant can be crucial to slowing the advance of dangerous blazes. Wildfires across North America have grown bigger and more destructive over the past two decades as climate change warms the planet. State and local agencies lean heavily on the U.S. Forest Service to help fight fires, many of which originate or include federal land.
The Oregon-based group Forest Service Employees for Environmental Ethics argued in its lawsuit filed last year that the Forest Service was disregarding the Act by continuing to use retardant without taking adequate precautions to protect streams and rivers. Forest Service spokesperson Wade Muehlhof said the agency believes retardant can be used “without compromising public health and the environment.”
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