Court Upholds Controls on Carbon Pollution & Other Harmful Gases

Today the District Columbia Court of Appeals rejected 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. The court’s action upholds a June 2012 ruling from a three judge panel of the same court finding EPA’s actions complied with the Clean Air Act and were supported by a substantial body of scientific evidence.

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 David Baron, who is among a team of attorneys defending EPA’s health and environmental protections:

“We’re pleased the Court rejected industry’s attempts to overturn common sense protections against this dangerous pollution. The need for these protections is supported by literally hundreds of studies and the world’s leading climate scientists. As we’ve seen in just the past few months, climate change is occurring now and poses very real threats to life, health and welfare.”