Luján Statement on Supreme Court Ruling on West Virginia v. EPA

Washington D.C. – U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) issued the following statement after the decision of the Supreme Court to undercut the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) regulatory authority:

“With historic wildfires and drought raging across New Mexico, we must act to meet the existential challenge posed by climate change. Today, the Supreme Court undermined the federal government’s ability to do just that. This decision jeopardizes the EPA’s authority to regulate greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide and methane.

“As stated in the amicus brief that I submitted earlier this year with 190 of my Democratic colleagues, Congress gave the EPA necessary, broad authority to use their scientific expertise to regulate air pollution under the Clean Air Act. This is a critical federal responsibility at a time when the dangers of climate change are plainly visible in New Mexico and across the country.

“I will continue to work with my colleagues to pass robust climate legislation to protect our communities while creating good-paying jobs in clean energy – an effort I have led throughout my career. Now is not the time to erode the EPA’s ability to ensure clean air for all Americans.”