A bill supported by President Bush that would relax certain air pollution control regulations of the Clean Air Act has been rejected by the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee. After rejecting S. 131, The Clean Skies Act of 2005 by a bipartisan vote of 9 to 9, U.S. Sen. Jim Jeffords (I, Vermont), the ranking member of the EPW Committee, expressed hope that the Senate would now begin a bipartisan process for strengthening the Clean Air Act.
"We must strive to build upon the success of the Clean Air Act, not gut it," stated Sen. Jeffords.
According to Jeffords, the Clean Skies Act of 2005 bill would stop enforcement of the Clean Air Act, allow the oldest dirtiest power plants to increase pollution without installing anti-pollution technology and give power plants an extra 10 years to continue to avoid reducing mercury pollution.
Jeffords continued, "This bill (S. 131) allows giant corporate utilities to avoid compliance and stops the enforcement of our existing clean air laws. The big utilities are essentially given ten extra years to pollute. In addition, the measure exempts thousands of sources from the requirements to control hazardous air pollutants that cause cancer and birth defects."
"S.131 radically slows that progress and reverses course. S. 131 rewrites major portions of the Clean Air Act to delay attainment of the health-based standards - leaving millions of Americans to breath dirty air longer," Jeffords added.
"Let me leave you with some sobering thoughts," concluded Jeffords. "Everyday, on average, power plant pollution will contribute to or cause 68 Americans to die prematurely, 1000 to have a non-fatal heart attack, and thousands of adults and children to have asthma attacks so severe they will go the hospital. And 6.6 million tons of carbon dioxide will add to the already serious risk of dangerous interference with the earth's climate system."
Jeffords and 18 bipartisan cosponsors have introduced S. 150, The Clean Power Act, which would set stronger limits for nitrogen oxide, sulfur dioxide and mercury, as well as mandatory controls on carbon dioxide emissions. "S. 150, the Clean Power Act, my tri-partisan bill with 18 cosponsors, achieves greater pollution reduction, faster and with greater benefits for society," said Jeffords.
About the Clean Air Act
Regulations of The Clean Air Act of 1990 are enforced by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Under this law, EPA sets limits on how much of a pollutant can be in the air anywhere in the United States. This ensures that all Americans have the same basic health and environmental protections. The law allows individual states to have stronger pollution controls, but states are not allowed to have weaker pollution controls than those set for the whole country.
The United States government, through the EPA, assists the states by providing scientific research, expert studies, engineering designs and money to support clean air programs.
