Clean Air

Attorney General Roy Cooper is working to make the air you breathe cleaner.

 

 

Cooper is a strong supporter of North Carolina’s Clean Smokestacks Act, which requires coal-fired power plants in our state to cut harmful emissions. The law is expected to lead to fewer cases of lung disease and asthma, less smog and acid rain, and lower mercury levels in our lakes and rivers.

 

 

 

Because air pollution doesn’t respect state lines, Cooper is pushing other states to clean up the dirty air they send to North Carolina. He’s asked the federal government to force power plants in 13 other states that contribute dirty air to North Carolina to clean up.

 

 

 

He also asked the courts to make the Tennessee Valley Authority follow the law and clean the air from its plants, dirty air that makes people in North Carolina sick.  Cooper won a court ruling that requires the TVA to meet specific time limits for reductions in pollution at the four TVA plants closest to North Carolina.  The TVA must clean up faster and reduce their pollution more than required by federal law.  The court also found that pollution from TVA plants harms North Carolina's health, economy and natural resources.

 

You can read the judge's ruling and experts’ reports on TVA and air quality here:

TVA Judgment

TVA Memorandum of Opinion