FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:

PETER RAFLE (202) 302-7086 peter_rafle@epw.senate.gov

Friday, December 22, 2006

 

 

Washington, D.C. -- U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) today made the following statement about the Court of Appeals decision to reject EPA’s smog rule. The court today ruled unanimously that “EPA has failed to heed the restrictions on its discretion set forth in the Act,” and therefore that the rule is invalid.

 

Senator Boxer’s statement follows:

 

 

“I am pleased that the Court of Appeals has seen through EPA’s transparent attempts to weaken implementation of the Clean Air Act’s rules for smog. This unanimous opinion from the Court of Appeals confirms that EPA’s approach is illegal. EPA must now throw out this rule and start anew. Because of the efforts of the South Coast Air Quality Management District, which brought this case, our citizens will not be forced to accept EPA’s plans to relax the smog rules. Smog kills people, it increases asthma and other respiratory illnesses, and it remains a major public health threat in many areas of the country. Sadly, we have once again had to rely on the court to tell EPA how to read the text of the Clean Air Act in a way that protects people, not polluters. When the new Congress convenes, we will scrutinize EPA’s approach to clean air very carefully to ensure that the health of our families is protected.”