Attorney General’s Statement on EPA’s Proposal to Deny Maryland’s 126 Petition

BALTIMORE, MD - Maryland Attorney General Brian E. Frosh today released the following statement in response to the EPA’s proposal to deny Maryland’s petition under section 126 of the Clean Air Act:

“It is clear and undeniable that emissions from power plants in surrounding states pollute Maryland’s air and violate the law. The EPA has failed to stop these violations and has failed to protect Marylanders from the harm of breathing polluted air. Requiring power plants to implement common sense standards to reduce harmful emissions is the responsibility of the EPA. Time and time again, it has failed to do its job. Over the next few weeks, my office will consider all options to protect the health of our environment and of our citizens.”

The petition filed in November 2016 under Section 126 of the Clean Air Act, requested the EPA to issue a finding that power plants located in Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia are in violation of the “good neighbor provision” of the Clean Air Act. The petition alleged that nitrogen oxides emitted by these power plants impede Maryland’s efforts to attain and maintain federal health-based air quality standards.