In response to reporting that Senate Republicans are preparing to gut Clean Air Act protections, defying clear guidance from the Senate parliamentarian and the Government Accountability Office (GAO), Evergreen Action States Vice President Justin Balik released the following statement:

“Senate Republicans are preparing to gut Clean Air Act protections with a vote that would undo decades of environmental progress. They are ignoring their own parliamentarian and brushing aside clear legal precedent to side with polluters over public health. This vote is a direct assault on the authority of states like California to set stronger clean air standards. Stripping it away would set a dangerous legal precedent and weaken one of the most powerful tools for protecting public health. 

“This isn’t an isolated move—it’s part of a deliberate campaign to dismantle environmental protections and strip away state authority wherever they can, no matter the consequences. Republicans have made clear they care more about appeasing Donald Trump and shielding Big Oil’s profits than protecting the health of American families. Now, they’re targeting the legal tools states have relied on to safeguard their residents from toxic pollution—authority that has been reaffirmed and upheld by the courts and administrations of both parties for years. This vote isn’t just reckless. It’s an insult to the communities that have long borne the heaviest burden of toxic air.”