The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia issued a decision invalidating, in part, and upholding, in part, the Bush Administration's 2002 rules that weakened important Clean Air Act protections. The Court of Appeals also suggested that some of the utility and coal industry's arguments allowing continued operation of old highly polluting coal plants would not be accepted in another related case.

"The U.S. Court of Appeals' decision undercuts arguments that the Bush Administration and coal utilities have made to gut key Clean Air Act standards. It's time for the utilities to install modern pollution control technology to clean-up the old, dirty coal plants that are harming Americans' health and environment," said Howard Learner, Executive Director of the Environmental Law & Policy Center.