The US Senate has rejected a bill backed by Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky that would have called for the Environmental Protection Agency to weaken standards for mercury, lead, arsenic, and other toxins from coal-fired power plants.
The vote was 53 to 46 against the resolution.
McConnell says the standards are hurting the coal industry and coal jobs.
But even some coal-state lawmakers voted no.
Senator Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia said he couldn't go along with a plan that would weaken anti-pollution laws.
