Lois Capps: “Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and I yield myself such time as I may consume. You know, it's clear that the goal of the TRAIN…”

“Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and I yield myself such time as I may consume. You know, it's clear that the goal of the TRAIN Act is not simply to study EPA standards. The goal of the majority is to block the efforts of EPA to cut mercury and other toxic pollution from dirty power plants. That's dangerous and it's misguided. The research is clear, unless EPA enforces these standards, there will be more premature deaths, more heart and asthma attacks, more hospital and emergency room visits. Up until recently, I thought I was safe from this pollution. I don't live next door to a power plant; I live near the coast of the Pacific Ocean. But I learned that you don't need to live near a dirty power plant to be exposed to its harmful effects. I received test results this summer showing that I have an unsafe level of mercury in my body. And I'm not alone. Tens of millions of American women of child-bearing age, and their children, are at risk from mercury and other toxins that are released into our air each and every year. Every year, hundreds of thousands of babies are exposed to mercury. Mercury exposure can cause learning disabilities, developmental delays, and other developmental problems. We owe it to our children to clean up toxic mercury pollution, and that's why I'm offering this amendment. The amendment would simply require that this committee designate the analysis of the true costs of including health effects in blocking EPA's lifesaving clean air safeguards.…”