FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 22, 2024
Contact: Ashley Sullivan, Ashley.Sullivan@weact.org
WASHINGTON — Environmental Justice groups of the cohort Clean Air for the Long Haul (CAFLH) are pleased by the recent US Supreme Court (SCOTUS) decisions to uphold US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations to tackle harmful air pollution and climate emissions from the power sector. These included rules to curb methane emissions from oil and gas operations, mercury and other toxic air pollutants from coal-fired power plants, as well as greenhouse gases from existing coal and new gas plants. The cohort advocated successfully to strengthen these rules, especially the methane and mercury and air toxic standards, calling on the urgent need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and toxic pollution from fossil-fuel fired power plants that disproportionately harm environmental justice communities. In response, CAFLH released the following statement:
“The SCOTUS decisions this month ensure that the EPA rules, challenged by industry and states, remain on track and the Agency is ‘squarely within its legal responsibilities and would protect the public.’ For example, the EPA projects that the methane rule would not only prevent 58 million tons of the potent climate pollutant from 2024 – 2038 but will also cut volatile organic compounds which will have long-lasting benefits for public health such as avoiding up to 97,000 cases of asthma symptoms. While, the mercury and air toxics standards are estimated to result in significant emissions reductions in hazardous air pollutants like mercury, arsenic, lead, and fine particulates as well as carbon pollution, realizing millions in both health and climate benefits between 2028 – 2037.
With the current composition and voting record of the Supreme Court, we have lost many vital protections as a nation. These recent rulings, however, are encouraging and emphasize how clear cut the need for these regulations are, particularly for environmental justice communities who have carried a greater burden and have lost generations of thinkers, leaders, friends, family, and children due to the health, climate, environmental, and safety harms from the fossil fuel industry. We will continue to focus our efforts on defending these rules as litigation progresses in the D.C. Circuit. We will also work to ensure that the EPA implements and enforces them to safeguard our communities, our climate, and our futures.”
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Clean Air For The Long Haul is a nationwide coalition of environmental justice groups working together to win major federal emissions reductions in the power and transportation sectors. Coalition member organizations include: Alternatives for Community and Environment, Coalition of Community Organizations, Deep South Center for Environmental Justice, Duwamish River Community Coalition, GreenDoor Initiative, New Jersey Environmental Justice Alliance, South Bronx Unite, Texas Environmental Justice Advocacy Services, WE ACT for Environmental Justice, West End Revitalization Association, and Wisconsin Green Muslims.