For residents of Los Angeles and two-dozen other pollution-stricken municipalities across the country, there’s no question that air pollution has grown significantly worse over the years. But with smog alerts growiung ever more frequent, the federal government seems to be less and less concerned with fixing the problem.

 Indeed, in March of this year, hackles went up across the scientific community when the EPA failed to strengthen its ground-level ozone standard as much as its own scientists demanded, and outrage broke again when the White House struck down outright other attempts to stiffen anti-fog standards.

 Fortunately, the environmentally-savvy in Washington are not taking the affront sitting down. Representative Henry Waxman, chair of the House oversight committee, took the Administration to task for its meddling, and battered EPA Administrator Johnson during a recent committee hearing.

Now several environmental groups are getting in on the act as well, filing a lawsuit challenging the EPA’s decision not to increase ozone protection. The near-immediate response of so many agencies sends a clear message that public opinion—and public money, are now ready to fight for environmental protection at every turn.