James M. Jeffords: “today I am here to announce the introduction of the Clean Power Act of 2001 which reduces emissions from power plants of…”

“today I am here to announce the introduction of the Clean Power Act of 2001 which reduces emissions from power plants of the four primary air pollutants. These four pollutants, nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, mercury, and carbon dioxide are the major cause of the nation's most serious public health and environmental problems: smog, soot, acid rain, mercury contamination, and global warming. The Clean Power Act set standards for these four serious pollutants that are both cost-effective and technologically feasible. The 1970 Clean Air Act, and its subsequent amendments, were enacted to improve the quality of our nation's air. This was a major milestone in environmental legislation. I was proud to be one of the principle negotiators of the 1990 amendments to the Clean Air Act. Those were important steps to take to improve the quality of our Nation's air and since that time we have made significant headway in that direction. Although current legislation sets standards for nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide, they are at levels that we now know are far too high to protect us from the devastating effects of resulting smog, acid rain, and increased respiratory disease.”