CONCORD - Gov. John Lynch today praised the U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee for upholding the Clean Air Act.

"This vote is an important victory for clean air in New Hampshire," Gov. Lynch said.

By a vote of 9 to 9, the Committee blocked efforts to revoke provisions of the Clean Air Act, such as New Source Review, which requires older power plants to improve pollution control methods when making major upgrades.

"New Hampshire and our neighboring states have worked hard over the years to reach our clean air goals, but we cannot succeed on our own. On our worst air-quality days, 90 percent of the pollution is coming from upwind states," Gov. Lynch said. "I am pleased that the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee has recognized that big polluters in the Midwest must be held responsible for reducing their pollution."

"The proposed weakening of the Clean Air Act would have allowed upwind states to continue to dirty our air and jeopardize the health of our citizens, and it would also have placed our businesses and industries at a significant disadvantage," Gov. Lynch said.