Congress Attacks the Clean Air Act

The new Congress has barely convened and already polluters are pushing their friends to go on attack against clean air protections. Two U.S. Senators yesterday introduced dangerous legislation that seeks to block new public health protections being prepared by the Environmental Protection Agency.

Smog chokes Houston. Dirty air isn't stopping polluters from going on the attack. Image from ENS-Newswire.

Senator John Barrasso (R-WY), along with seven other Senators, introduced a bill that would block limits on carbon pollution and undermine landmark laws like the Clean Air Act and the National Environmental Policy Act.

At the same time, Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) introduced a bill to delay, for two years, Environmental Protection Agency limits on carbon pollution from coal-fired power plants, oil refineries and other stationary sources under the Clean Air Act.  Coal-fired power plants are the largest single source of global warming pollution in the U.S.

NWF global warming policy director, Joe Mendelson, was not pleased. He was quoted in the New York Times green blog saying it would “create a parade of polluter loopholes allowing for unlimited carbon pollution. Americans don’t want Congress undermining E.P.A.’s work on new clean vehicle standards and cleaning up dirty smokestacks.”

You can help.  Take action now to protect people and wildlife by keeping a strong Clean Air Act.