Durbin Statement On Supreme Court Decision Gutting EPA Authority

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today released the following statement regarding the Supreme Court's decision in West Virginia v. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA):

"EPA has the critical task of addressing our climate crisis and ensuring that Americans have clean air to breathe. Congress gave that authority to EPA with the Clean Air Act, which the Supreme Court has affirmed again and again. Today's decision by this Supreme Court is a dangerous step backwards and threatens our air and our planet. This ruling sets a troubling precedent both for what it means to protect public health and the authority regulatory agencies have to protect public health."

In January, Durbin joined Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Chair Tom Carper (D-DE) and more than 190 of their Senate and House Democratic colleagues in submitting an amicus brief to the Supreme Court on the case, expressing support for EPA's authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions and address legacy and ongoing environmental pollution through the rule making process.

-30-