A new federal lawsuit contends emissions at the Everglades migrant detention site known as Alligator Alcatraz, associated with more than 200 diesel-burning generators and 100 diesel-burning lighting towers, are harmful to human health and the environment and violate the Clean Air Act.
The litigation, filed May 27 in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, accuses the state Division of Emergency Management of unlawfully constructing the facility without acquiring a permit under the Clean Air Act. The process for obtaining such a permit requires a detailed air quality analysis and public involvement, so that the would-be polluter can implement pollution controls, according to the complaint filed by the Center for Biological Diversity, an advocacy group.
The site’s continuously running generators, responsible for powering a facility large enough to accommodate 3,000 detainees along with 1,000 workers and more than 400 security personnel, emit various pollutants such as carbon monoxide and fine particulate matter. The pollutants can lead to health problems including cancer, asthma attacks, cardiovascular disease and premature death, and they also stand to affect air quality and visibility in Everglades National Park, roughly seven miles away, the complaint said.
