Van Hollen Statement on Supreme Court Ruling on Mercury and Air Toxics Regulations

Statement

Today Maryland Congressman Chris Van Hollen, Co-Chair of the Bicameral Task Force on Climate Change and member of the Safe Climate Caucus and the Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition, released the following statement on the Supreme Court ruling in Michigan v. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA):

"Today the Supreme Court ruled to take a step backward on our efforts to protect the air we breathe, putting companies' profit margins before the health of the American people. The Clean Air Act is central to assessing and addressing threats to public health, and the EPA has worked hard to implement it successfully. This ruling will require the EPA to weigh costs to industry when deciding whether to protect the public from hazardous emissions, before the EPA has even determined what appropriate pollution controls might be.

"Much work has already been done to reduce dangerous neurotoxins like mercury, and the vast majority of power plants are either in compliance or well on their way. As the EPA works to fulfill its new mandate, I urge companies to continue to operate these critical pollution controls to protect public health. Congress must also take action on climate change, which has the potential to accelerate mercury pollution. We were sent here to get things done, not ignore major issues facing our nation and the entire globe."

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