WASHINGTON– On Tuesday, U.S. Representative Bill Shuster (R-Hollidaysburg) strongly condemned the Supreme Court’s ruling on the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Cross-State Air Pollution Rule (CSAPR). The 6-2 decision, which overturned a lower court’s verdict that the rule was beyond the agency’s authority under the Clean Air Act, allows the EPA to hold states responsible for emissions that cross state lines.

Rep. Shuster has been a vocal opponent of the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule since it was proposed. He sent several letters calling for the EPA to examine the potential impact of CSAPR, and voted in 2011 to completely suspend it.  

“I am extremely disappointed in today’s ruling by the Supreme Court,” said Rep. Shuster. “A federal appeals court in Washington already struck this regulation down last year, but that didn’t stopped President Obama from doubling down on his radical environmental agenda. With energy prices high and our economy recovering slowly, the last thing we need right now is another job-crushing rule from the EPA. That is why I have been fighting this damaging rule from the very beginning. We should develop our domestic energy resources, not punish the people trying to expand American energy production.”

The Cross-State Air Pollution Rule was adopted by the EPA in 2011 and directly limits emissions in over two-dozen Midwestern and Southern states based on the quantity that drifts across state borders. Power companies were joined by several states in successfully suing to prevent the rule from taking effect, however Tuesday’s Supreme Court ruling clears the way for the EPA to move forward with implementation.

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