Consortium Statement on Undoing Clean Air Act Regulation

May 23, 2025

On May 22, Congress approved a resolution to undo the Clean Air Act regulation that controls the amount of toxic air pollutants emitted by many industrial facilities like oil refineries, chemical plants and steel mills.

Below is a statement from Lisa Patel, MD, executive director of the Medical Society Consortium on Climate & Health. The Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health brings together medical societies to protect all people from the devastating health impacts of climate change and climate-related pollutants. The Consortium represents over half of physicians across the U.S.

“The Clean Air Act has been a bedrock of progress made to improve health across the country over the last 50 years. It is without doubt one of the most important pieces of health and environmental legislation, and for the first time, Congress is rolling back progress made under the Clean Air Act. Undoing this regulation exposes people across the United States to health-harming toxic air pollutants from industrial facilities. This is not only a dereliction of governmental duty to protect the public, it is a moral failure.

“This first-ever rollback of environmental protections under the Clean Air Act will take us back to a time that most Americans won’t remember—or like. This regulation applied rigorous scientific research and public input to protect generations of Americans from pollution that harms our lungs, hearts and brains. Repealing this regulation signals an unconscionable abandonment of our collective right to our health, clean air and a livable future.

“This decision impacts everyone, but it has an even greater impact on those who live closest to places like oil refineries, chemical plants and steel mills, as well as children, the elderly, and people who are pregnant or have preexisting health conditions. This is not a theoretical threat. Without these protections, doctors and nurses will see more asthma attacks, heart disease, premature births and preventable deaths. Children today and into the future will be breathing air that is more polluted. They will pay the price in their health by this policy failure.

“Health professionals across the country will continue to serve our patients and fight for the health and dignity of every person in this country. But our mission is being made more challenging by this failure from the federal government.”

The views expressed here are of the Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health and not necessarily of its medical society members.