Rep. Huffman Leads Bipartisan Defense of Clean Power Plan in Federal Court
Washington, DC – (RealEstateRama) — Reps. Huffman and Pallone led 208 current and former members of Congress and Senators in brief in support of the Obama Administration’s final Clean Power Plan in the case West Virginia v United States Environmental Protection Agency. In addition to Huffman and Pallone, the brief was filed by Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer, Assistant Democratic Leader James E. Clyburn, Democratic Caucus Chair Xavier Becerra, Democratic Caucus Vice-Chair Joseph Crowley, and Senators Barbara Boxer, Edward Markey, and Senate Democratic Leadership. Oral arguments in the case will be heard by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit on June 2, 2016.
In response to this broad showing of support for the Clean Power Plan, Rep. Huffman released the following statement:
“The science is clear, and so is the intent of Congress: we must take action on climate change. Our brief to the DC Circuit Court demonstrates clearly that the EPA has the legal authority — and the obligation — to address carbon pollution, and that the Clean Power Plan must be allowed to go into effect. While Tea Party Republicans in Congress and on the campaign trail continue to cloud the issue and put up smokescreens, more children head to the emergency rooms with asthma attacks, we face record-setting wildfires across the West, and California suffers from the worst drought we’ve ever seen,” said Rep. Huffman. “The Clean Air Act, as enacted and amended by Congress, directs the EPA to address new air pollution problems as they arise, and that’s exactly what the Clean Power Plan would do. That’s why we filed our brief in court: to demonstrate the broad support from current and former members of Congress for the Clean Air Act to continue to work as designed. Just because the extremists who dominate today’s Republican party have decided not to do their jobs to protect public health and the planet, doesn’t mean the EPA should be prevented from acting.”
