The U.S. Senate has a chance Monday to stop a new EPA rule that allows some of the country’s largest polluters to circumvent the Clean Air Act by continuing to pump tons of mercury into the atmosphere.

In March, the Environmental Protection Agency unveiled rules governing mercury emissions. The new rules fall far short of what’s required by the law and could, in fact, lead to an increase in the amount of mercury released into the atmosphere.

“There is overwhelming and indisputable scientific evidence that the EPA’s mercury rule is flawed and should be overturned,” U.S. Sen. Susan Collins said in a news release. “Despite repeated requests, EPA has completely failed to correct this flawed rule.”

Collins, along with Sens. Olympia Snowe, James Jeffords and Patrick Leahy, are fighting to stop the EPA’s rule. But time is running out. The deadline for considering their resolution is Monday.

Mercury is a dangerous toxin that poses a significant risk to pregnant women and children. Even low-level exposure to mercury can cause learning disabilities and developmental delays. The EPA’s rules would allow power plants – the leading producers of mercury pollution – to avoid the requirements of the Clean Air Act that they use the best technology available to reduce pollution. The rules also extend the timeline for reducing mercury pollution until at least 2018.

As Jeffords has said on several occasions, the rule is “plainly illegal.” The Senate has the opportunity to stop the assault on the Clean Air Act and put science back into the EPA’s rulemaking apparatus. If it fails to act, downwind states such as Maine will pay the price with their residents’ health.