Rep. Ilhan Omar Statement on Supreme Court EPA Ruling

Statement

Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) released the following statement after the far-right Supreme Court ruled that the Biden Administration cannot regulate greenhouse gas emissions from power plants that contribute to global warming under the Clean Air Act.

"The Clean Air Act is a bedrock of environmental law and of modern society. In explicitly lays out our responsibility to protect the nation's air quality by limiting pollution. Since 1970, thanks to the Clean Air Act, we have had a significant drop in major pollutants like particulate matter and nitrogen oxides. Make no mistake: it is one of the most effective tools we have to clean our air and save our planet in the face of the existential climate crisis.

"This ruling not only flies in the face of the letter of the law, but of basic morality. It makes it nearly impossible for us to stave off the worst of the climate crisis, and will fall hardest on the most vulnerable communities. Like the decision overturning Roe, the reasoning risks eliminating other precedents, including dozens of regulations that keep our water safe, protect us from heat, and toxic chemicals.

"Even more worrisome, it is only the latest signpost in the frightening backsliding of US democracy.

"Democracies' legitimacy rest on the consent of the governed, on the premise that decisions made by civic institutions reflect the will of the citizens and non-citizens they impact. From the January 6th insurrection to stolen seats on the court, it has become increasingly clear that our country is in the midst of a democratic crisis, with the Supreme Court at the heart of it.

"Serious times call for serious leadership. 75 percent of Americans currently think the country is headed in the wrong direction. Nearly 60 percent worry our democracy is in danger of collapse. And their worries are not misplaced. We need an ambitious sustained democratic reform movement. Nothing less than the fate of our republic is at stake."

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