(CNN) - Eight states are suing the Trump administration after federal officials denied a request states say would limit smog pollution crossing their borders from other states.
The group involved in the lawsuit is comprised of Northeastern states, and includes New York, Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Vermont.
In 2013, they asked the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to impose tougher controls on nine other states, mostly in the Midwest. They said pollution from the Midwestern states was blowing downwind and impacting the health of residents.
That request was denied in November.
So they've filed a federal lawsuit, arguing that the denial violates the Clean Air Act, and asking the court to force the EPA to accept their petition.
In its denial, the EPA said that there were other programs that would be better able to handle the issue of smog blowing across state lines.
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