On Feb. 27, 2001, the US Supreme Court unanimously upheld the constitutionality of the Clean Air Act as the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) had interpreted it in setting the 1997 health-protective ambient air standards for ground-level ozone (smog) and particulates (soot).
The ruling solidifies EPA’s position that the Clean Air Act requires standards to be set based solely on public health considerations without consideration of costs. The court also acknowledged that it is appropriate for states and EPA to continue to consider costs in implementing the standards.
The decision was challenged by the American Trucking Associations, the US Chamber of Commerce, and other state and business groups who claimed that EPA misinterpreted the Clean Air Act to give itself unlimited discretion to set air standards.
A PDF version of the ruling is available from the US Supreme Court. For more information about EPA’s air standards policies, visit the agency’s Web site.
