Senate Energy and Natural Resources Chair Mike Lee has introduced legislation to strip the public of its long-standing prerogative to bring Clean Air Act enforcement lawsuits.
The Utah Republican’s S. 3049, the “Fair Air Enforcement Act,” would repeal Section 304 of the act, which allows citizens to file suits against both individual businesses and EPA for alleged violations.
Lee introduced the bill last Thursday. In a news release, he accused “climate extremists” of weaponizing the judicial system against small businesses.
The legislation, he said, “will prevent partisan political groups from abusing the legal process to drag private citizens and industries through frivolous lawsuits.” Instead, enforcement suits would be left up to state governments and relevant agencies, according to the release.
