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Senate Committee Upholds Clean Air Act Protections Statement by Nat Mund, Senior Washington Representative, Sierra Club Washington, DC - - The Sierra Club applauds the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee (EPW) for its decision to defend the Clean Air Act and its record of protecting public health. By a vote of 9 to 9, the Committee blocked efforts by the Bush administration and EPW Chairman James Inhofe to replace the current Clean Air Act with something more favorable to big energy companies. In response to today’s vote, the Sierra Club issued the following statement: "The existing Clean Air Act is one of the most successful public health protections in U.S. history. We're glad to see the Environment and Public Works Committee had the common sense to reject the Bush administration's radical attempt to weaken the law. The proposal offered by the administration and Senator Inhofe would allow 2-3 times more soot, smog and mercury pollution than strong enforcement of the current law - and delay cleanup for a decade longer. Additionally, it lets unseen market forces - rather than universal public health standards - decide whether communities will get any relief from dirty air. "The best way to achieve the clean air standards that Americans want and deserve continues to be the strong enforcement of the Clean Air Act. We should continue to move forward with an existing program that has a track record of success rather than open the door to a high risk scheme." # # # Note: Nat Mund is available for comments on today’s markup. Please call Brian O’Malley at 202-675-6279 to schedule an interview. |
