Constitutional Accountability Center Constitutional Accountability Center

Environmental Justice

Protecting the right to clean air, water, and soil for all Americans against attacks from special interests and government wrongdoing
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Maryland Water Pollution comm. Annapolis, Md. | Library of Congress

Summary

Corporations and special interests have pushed a distorted reading of the Constitution, attacked critical environmental safeguards, and poured millions of dollars into a coordinated effort to deny climate change and weaken the government’s ability to protect all Americans. CAC defends against such attacks to support every American’s right to a clean environment.

Environmental Justice in Brief

Dakota Access Pipeline protest | John Duffy, Flickr

The Trump administration refuses even to acknowledge, yet alone address, the causes and impacts of a warming climate. As a result, CAC continues to fight in the courts to defend environmental regulations that keep our communities pollution-free, building on Supreme Court cases like Massachusetts v. EPA.

Featured Case

Environmental Justice April 28, 2017

West Virginia v. EPA

Opponents of the CPP, including states, industry, and the Chamber of Commerce, have challenged the rule in the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. Among other things, they argue that, under their reading of the Clean Air Act (CAA), the EPA’s decision to regulate hazardous pollutants emitted from power plants deprives it of the authority to regulate CO2 emissions from those same power plants. Republican members of Congress filed a friend-of-the-court brief in support of the rule’s challengers, arguing that the rule usurps Congress’s ability to make policy for the nation. CAC filed a friend-of-the-court brief in...

Case Timeline

Current
  • D.C. Cir. grant’s EPA’s motion to hold case in abeyance
  • EPA asks D.C. Cir. to hold case in abeyance
  • Trump orders reexamination of CPP

Related Issue Areas

Corporate Accountability See More
Rule of Law See More