David Rouzer’s War on Clean Air: Who He’s Really Protecting

David Rouzer has a responsibility—to protect the people of North Carolina, not the industries lining their pockets at the expense of public health. But as the Clean Air Act faces an all-out assault from industry-backed lawsuits, corporate-friendly courts, and a Congress willing to roll back half a century of environmental protections, where is Rouzer? Silent. Again. The very air his constituents breathe is at risk, and instead of standing up for them, he’s sitting back while polluters make their move.

The attacks on the Clean Air Act are coming from every angle. Industry-backed lawsuits are making their way through federal courts, chipping away at state and federal authority to regulate pollution. The Supreme Court has already taken up cases that could weaken the EPA’s power, and if these decisions go the wrong way, states like North Carolina will be left defenseless against corporate polluters. Meanwhile, Congressional Republicans—Rouzer’s colleagues—are working to gut California’s Clean Air Act waiver, which has long allowed states to set stronger emissions standards. If they succeed, it won’t just affect California. It will set a precedent that strips states of the right to protect their own residents from air pollution.

And let’s not forget the ultimate goal: dismantling the Endangerment Finding, the legal foundation that allows the EPA to regulate greenhouse gases. If the Trump administration succeeds in overturning it, corporations will have a free pass to pump toxins into the air with impunity. The science is clear—greenhouse gases contribute to climate change, air pollution causes cancer, and weak regulations cost lives. The only people pretending this is up for debate are the ones cashing checks from fossil fuel lobbyists.

Rouzer has the power to fight this. He sits in Congress. He has a vote. He has a voice. But he won’t use it—at least not for the people who breathe this air, drink this water, and suffer the consequences when environmental protections are gutted. He’s not protecting North Carolina’s farmers, whose crops will struggle under increasing air pollution. He’s not protecting families in Wilmington, who already deal with pollution from industrial sites along the Cape Fear River. He’s certainly not protecting children, the elderly, and those with respiratory conditions who will bear the brunt of deregulation.

So who is he protecting? The corporations that want fewer restrictions. The lobbyists who see the Clean Air Act as an obstacle to bigger profits. The political machine that values deregulation over human lives. Rouzer is letting North Carolina be collateral damage in a battle waged by industries that don’t care if the people in his district get sicker, if the air gets dirtier, or if the next generation inherits an unlivable climate.

He has a choice. He can fight to uphold the Clean Air Act, defend the Endangerment Finding, and ensure that North Carolina isn’t dragged into an era of smog-choked cities and rising respiratory illnesses. Or he can continue doing what he’s done so far—nothing. And if he chooses nothing, the people of North Carolina should remember exactly who let them down when it mattered most.

Hold Rouzer accountable. Call 910-395-0202 and DEMAND ANSWERS!