Statement By Attorney General Eliot Spitzer Regarding

A federal appeals court today upheld an effort by New York and 14 other states to stop the Bush Administration from weakening the federal Clean Air Act.

The Court threw out new EPA regulations that would have allowed aging power plants and other industrial polluters to make major modifications to their plants without improving their pollution controls.

This decision is a major victory for clean air and public health.

It will encourage industry to build new and cleaner facilities, instead of prolonging the life of old dirty plants.

It has been estimated that more than 20,000 Americans die prematurely each year from power plant pollution. As a result of this decision, that number should be reduced.

While today's decision was unequivocal, there are continuing threats to enforcement of the Clean Air Act, which the administration and EPA have repeatedly sought to undermine. Our hope is that today's clear and forceful reaffirmation of the act's vitality will cause the administration to reconsider its course.

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