Sun Baked GL
Veteran Member
- Joined
- Jun 6, 2000
- Location
- Furnace Valley, AZ
Big news yesterday (2/27/2001) on the air quality front, the Supreme Court has spoken.
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>from findlaw.com - "High Court Upholds EPA Clean-Air Rule Method"
In one of the most important environmental decisions in decades, the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld how the federal government sets air pollution standards, rejecting industry arguments that public health benefits should be weighed against compliance costs.
The nation's high court also said in the unanimous landmark ruling that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) did not usurp Congress's lawmaking power when it set the strict standards for ozone and soot in 1997.
But in a third part of the ruling, the court said the EPA's implementation policy for the ozone standard in areas where ozone exceeds the maximum allowable level was unlawful, and the agency must develop a reasonable interpretation.
The EPA says the standards, which have yet to take effect, will save tens of thousands of lives and billions of dollars in health costs by reducing air pollution. The EPA estimated the rules will protect 125 million Americans, including 35 million children, from adverse health effects caused by air pollution.
Attorneys representing industry groups opposed to the standards have said the rules would cost businesses nearly $50 billion a year, a financial factor never considered by the EPA.
The EPA and environmentalists hailed the decision while business groups expressed disappointment.
more…
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
If you wish to read the Supreme Court decision
WHITMAN v. AMERICAN TRUCKING ASSOCIATIONS, INC., et al. in html
or
http://www.supremecourtus.gov/opinions/00pdf/99-1257.pdf
[This message has been edited by Sun Baked GL (edited February 28, 2001).]
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>from findlaw.com - "High Court Upholds EPA Clean-Air Rule Method"
In one of the most important environmental decisions in decades, the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld how the federal government sets air pollution standards, rejecting industry arguments that public health benefits should be weighed against compliance costs.
The nation's high court also said in the unanimous landmark ruling that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) did not usurp Congress's lawmaking power when it set the strict standards for ozone and soot in 1997.
But in a third part of the ruling, the court said the EPA's implementation policy for the ozone standard in areas where ozone exceeds the maximum allowable level was unlawful, and the agency must develop a reasonable interpretation.
The EPA says the standards, which have yet to take effect, will save tens of thousands of lives and billions of dollars in health costs by reducing air pollution. The EPA estimated the rules will protect 125 million Americans, including 35 million children, from adverse health effects caused by air pollution.
Attorneys representing industry groups opposed to the standards have said the rules would cost businesses nearly $50 billion a year, a financial factor never considered by the EPA.
The EPA and environmentalists hailed the decision while business groups expressed disappointment.
more…
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
If you wish to read the Supreme Court decision
WHITMAN v. AMERICAN TRUCKING ASSOCIATIONS, INC., et al. in html
or
http://www.supremecourtus.gov/opinions/00pdf/99-1257.pdf
[This message has been edited by Sun Baked GL (edited February 28, 2001).]
