Attorney General Praises Ruling That Strikes EPA Policy Exempting Power Plants From Vital Pollution Regulations
Attorney General Richard Blumenthal today lauded a decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit that struck down a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) policy exempting power plants from certain environmental regulations. Connecticut and 14 other states sued the EPA for illegally exempting power plants from regulations - required under the Clean Air Act - requiring strict regulation of hazardous air pollutants.
(Media-Newswire.com) - Attorney General Richard Blumenthal today lauded a decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit that struck down a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ( EPA ) policy exempting power plants from certain environmental regulations.
Connecticut and 14 other states sued the EPA for illegally exempting power plants from regulations - required under the Clean Air Act - requiring strict regulation of hazardous air pollutants.
Rather than impose these vital environmental regulations, the EPA instead allowed power plants to operate under a "cap-and-trade" system, or the Clean Air Mercury Rule, that enabled dirty coal and oil-fired plants to trade the right to emit certain amounts of mercury.
"Case after case, state attorneys general and the federal courts are teaching the Bush Administration that EPA stands for Environmental Protection Agency - not Energy Profits Agency," Blumenthal said. "The EPA acted completely beyond its lawful authority and defied the direct order of Congress under the Clean Air Act. Its lawless order would have created hot spots of mercury, a deadly neurotoxin, particularly harmful to children and fetal development. The EPA's twisted mindset, enabling filthy power plants to emit high levels of mercury that endanger our children, must be stopped for good.
"Connecticut is part of a coalition of states that will continue the vigorous fight to hold EPA to the law, and restore environmental and public health sanity to the federal government."
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