Enviros Say They Will Sue Over Oil Dispersants in Alaskan Waters

"ANCHORAGE -- An environmental group has filed a formal notice that it will sue the Environmental Protection Agency and the Coast Guard for authorizing oil dispersants without studying how they'll affect Alaska's polar bears, Cook Inlet beluga whales, Steller sea lions and other imperiled species.

The Center for Biological Diversity sent the agencies the 60-day notice Wednesday, a requirement before a lawsuit may be filed. The environmental group's Alaska director, Rebecca Noblin, said the lawsuit also will touch on other flaws in the state and federal spill response plan, such as the effects on wildlife of burning oil spilled in water.

'We focused on dispersants in the wake of the gulf disaster, where they used unprecedented amounts of dispersants without really knowing what the impact would be,' she said. 'That caught our attention.'"

Dan Joling reports for the Associated Press November 12, 2010.