Those closer to environmental problems and impacted by them know these issues better and care about them more than DC bureaucrats pushing one-size-fits-all policies. This vision is in line with what Congress intended when it passed the Clean Air Act (CAA) and Clean Water Act (CWA). Both statutes intended for states to play the primary role on air and water quality. Over the years though, the EPA has usurped state and local power and ignored Congressional intent.
The United States has some of the best air quality in the world, something that sometimes get lost given all of the scare tactics that are disseminated in the media. CEI has been a leader in pushing back against such alarmism, as well as the junk science and regulatory games that the EPA plays to improperly justify costly air quality regulations.
CEI believes that any air quality standards should be informed by sound science and do more good than harm. This is hardly controversial, but it remains an uphill battle with an often out of control EPA.
When it comes to the CWA, there has long been regulatory uncertainty. For decades, the EPA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have continued to overreach on what waters are even regulated under the Clean Water Act. In 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court finally provided some clarification on this key issue in Sackett v. EPA, but the Biden administration is not implementing the opinion properly.
CEI has extensive CWA expertise, especially when it comes to the “Waters of the United States” or WOTUS issue, and is using that expertise to ensure that the federal government follows the law, respects the principles of federalism embedded in the CWA, and provides clear and workable definitions for property owners. This is just part of our CWA work, which also covers issues such as state abuse of the Section 401 certification process and EPA retroactive vetoes of Section 404 permits.
Featured Posts
![EPA tailpipe rule an abuse of power, consumer freedom](https://cei.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/GettyImages-1300756671-578x324-c-default.jpg)
News Release
EPA tailpipe rule an abuse of power, consumer freedom
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today released its final rule on vehicle tailpipe emissions, which mirrors the proposed rule on the expected percentage of…
![Spending bills fail to provide checks on Biden’s energy and environmental abuses](https://cei.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/GettyImages-1684613131-578x324-c-default.jpg)
Blog
Spending bills fail to provide checks on Biden’s energy and environmental abuses
Over the weekend, House and Senate appropriations released the text of six final fiscal year (FY) 2024 spending bills: Energy and Water, Agriculture, Military…
![EPA’s Scientific Integrity Policy is unscientific, lacks integrity](https://cei.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/GettyImages-163188383-578x324-c-default.jpg)
Blog
EPA’s Scientific Integrity Policy is unscientific, lacks integrity
The Environmental Protection Agency recently released a draft update to its “Scientific Integrity Policy,” which aims to ensure the agency’s science-based decisions and…
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Products
An A For Alarmism And An F For Facts: The American Lung Association’s Phony War on Smog
From the June 2001 CEI UpDate Every year, the American Lung Association (ALA) releases its annual report card on smog,…
Study
The Ongoing Clean Air Debate: The Science Behind EPA’s Rule on Soot
Full Document Available in PDF The Environmental Protection Agency’s 1997 standard for fine particulate matter is perhaps the most controversial environmental…
News Release
The Debate over Clean Air: Does Exposure to Soot Lead to Illnesses?
Washington, DC, May 30, 2001—As the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) continues to review the science behind its proposed rule to regulate fine particles…
Op-Eds
Blame EPA for Oil Companies’ “Price-Gouging”: Lieberman Op-Ed
Distributed by Bridge News Service Distributed by Bridge News Service April 5, 2001 WASHINGTON–Last June, drivers in Chicago…
Products
Now, Who’s to Blame?
California Governor Gray Davis and the state’s Democratic legislature are starting to seize control of the energy industry in Next to the…
News Release
CEI Disappointed in Supreme Court Clean Air Act Decision
Washington, DC, February 27, 2001 – The Competitive Enterprise Institute today announced its disappointment with the Supreme Court’s decision concerning the Clean Air…
Staff & Scholars
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Sam Kazman
Counsel Emeritus
- Antitrust
- Automobiles and Roads
- Banking and Finance
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Marlo Lewis, Jr.
Senior Fellow
- Climate
- Energy
- Energy and Environment
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Ben Lieberman
Senior Fellow
- Climate
- Energy
- Energy and Environment
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Angela Logomasini
Adjunct Fellow
- Chemical Risk
- Consumer Freedom
- Energy and Environment
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Fred L. Smith, Jr.
Founder; Chairman Emeritus
- Automobiles and Roads
- Aviation
- Business and Government