Sen. Carper Issues Statement on D.C. Circuit Court Decision on Ozone Protections

WASHINGTON, Aug. 23 -- Sen. Thomas Carper, D-Delaware, ranking member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, issued the following statement reacting to the D.C. Circuit Court's decision to uphold the Environmental Protection Agency's 2015 primary national ambient air quality standard protecting public health from ground-level ozone pollution:

"Today's long-awaited decision is a victory for clean air, and a rejection of anti-scientific arguments made for years by industry opponents of the 2015 rule. Strong ozone standards reduce the suffocating smog that both pollutes air throughout the country and exacerbates chronic lung diseases for so many Americans.

"This ruling will help ensure that this threshold continues to trigger federal enforcement efforts and state-level actions to clean up this harmful pollution and make communities healthier, more vibrant places to live.

"The court also made it clear that it took seriously the latest air pollution science, and the judgment of the independent Clean Air Science Advisory Board that Congress established to guide the process of setting air quality standards.

"As President Trump's EPA considers weakening science-based protections, that fact should give the agency pause as it goes out of its way to either dismantle science advisory boards, or fire independent scientists and replace them with fossil fuel lobbyists."