U.S. Chamber Welcomes Supreme Court Review

WASHINGTON, DC—The United States Chamber of Commerce welcomed today's Supreme Court decision to review a ruling that struck down the Environmental Protection Agency's revised Clean Air Act regulations. If unchecked, EPA could attempt to expand their regulatory overreach into other environmental statutes as well.

"Once and for all, the Supreme Court can put an end to EPA's unconstitutional attempt to extend their regulatory power and ignore the will of Congress," said Thomas Donohue, Chamber President and CEO. "We are confident the Supreme Court will agree with two lower court rulings that found EPA's proposed changes to Clean Air standards were pulled out of nowhere."

The National Chamber Litigation Center, the legal arm of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and other business groups filed suit in July 1997 challenging the EPA's revised National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for particulate matter and ozone. The Chamber argued the new standards were not supported by sound science and that the EPA failed to explain how the standards would protect public health with an adequate margin of safety.

In May 1999 the U.S. District Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit ruled in the Chamber's favor and that decision was upheld when the EPA appealed to the full Court. Today's decision by the Supreme Court to review the case is expected to result in a decision by June 2001.

"If EPA isn't stopped, the proposed standards will be a crushing federal mandate on U.S. businesses, with no scientifically proven benefit to human health," said Donohue. "The EPA's own estimates show that the cost of compliance for businesses would have been at least $45 billion per year."

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is the world's largest business federation, representing more than three million businesses and organizations of every size, sector and region.

# # #

00-75