Activists today complained that the Environmental Protection Agency quietly decided last Friday that so-called PM-10 -- dust, soot and smoke -- is no longer a concern for San Joaquin Valley residents. Activists say the problem has not gone away.

The EPA last Friday officially recognized that the Valley has achieved the PM-10 standard -- completing an analysis that has been going on for the last two years. Activists are threatening to sue over it.

Earthjustice, a legal watchdog based in Oakland, said there have been numerous violations of the PM-10 standard in the last few years that EPA has ignored. They say there is no excuse for exposing Valley residents to such danger.

"EPA is telling people not to worry about dozens of violation days, the most recent one occurring just two months ago," says Earthjustice air quality researcher Sarah Jackson. "This is all about EPA keeping promises to polluters and gaming the data to try and make the problem go away."

However, the federal agency says it has investigated the data showing the Valley exceeded the threshold in the last few years. Each time, there has been high wind that created the problem, officials said. The violations are disregarded in such circumstances.

"The Valley continues to gain momentum towards cleaner air," said Deborah Jordan, the air division director for EPA's Pacific Southwest region. "There is still more work to do to reduce smog and fine-particle pollution, but meeting the federal coarse PM standard is a step in the right direction."