Andrew Cuomo is at it again, and we have a strong (and a good) feeling that this is just the beginning of what could be a long stretch in environmental law protection.

Yesterday, the newly minted attorney general joined eight other states in suing the Bush administration for its failure to adequately regulate emissions of mercury and other pollutants at cement plants.

The states are arguing that the U.S. EPA issued a rule that does not adhere to the Clean Air Act. Basically, the new EPA rule exempts portland cement plants (which are a major source of mercury emissions) from emissions standards. In New York, mercury contamination is prevalent in many bodies of water and has triggered fish consumption advisories.

Here's Cuomo's statement:

"It is shameful that the Bush Administration's EPA continues to abdicate its responsibility to protect public health and the environment. This coalition of states is resorting to the federal courts in an effort to compel the EPA to follow the law and establish limits for the most dangerous pollutants," said Cuomo. "This is just another instance in a long line of examples of the Bush Administration caving to industry lobbyists at the expense of the health concerns of ordinary citizens."