Clean Air Advocates Welcome Court's Decision Upholding Controls on Carbon Pollution, Other Harmful Gases

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled in favor of clean air, rejecting challenges by polluting industries and their state allies to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency actions limiting carbon pollution and other harmful emissions from cars, trucks, power plants, and various other polluters. These EPA protections respond to the Supreme Court's 2007 ruling in Massachusetts v. EPA, and are important parts of the agency's efforts to curb such pollution under the Clean Air Act.

The following statement is from Earthjustice attorney Howard Fox, co-counsel for Environmental Defense Fund, who is among a team of attorneys defending EPA's health and environmental protections:

"This is a welcome decision in favor of clean air for our kids and families--and against big polluters.

"Polluting industries such as big coal and big oil oppose action to limit climate change, refusing to modernize and resisting newer technologies. This case underscores these industries' dogged resistance to safeguards designed to protect the public's health and the environment. Notably, the automobile industry did not join these misguided challenges, but instead opposed these big industrial polluters' efforts to overturn the standards that apply to cars.

"Scientists recognize the strong link between burning fossil fuels like coal and global warming. Among many impacts, rising temperatures worsen smog that triggers asthma attacks and other lung ailments. We hope this decision reinforces the EPA's resolve to move forward with standards to rein-in carbon pollution and other harmful gases from new and existing sources."