In one of the sharpest rebukes of the Bush admin­istration’s environmental policy, the Washington, D.C., circuit court ruled in February that the EPA violated the Clean Air Act by not enforcing regulations to reduce toxic mercury emissions from power plants -- pollution linked to brain damage in children. The ruling wrapped up a five-year suit, brought by a coalition of states and environmental groups, including NRDC; it will force the EPA to impose tough standards on new and existing plants.