On the recordApril 5, 2011
This week the House will consider a misguided and dangerous bill to repeal the Clean Air Act standards that protect Americans from big polluters. Republicans are calling this bill the Energy Tax Prevention Act, except there is nothing to do with preventing taxes in the bill. Instead, this Dirty Air Act is a giveaway to any company who wants to dump pollution into the air free of charge and is a big gimme to all the Members of Congress hoping to collect their share of dirty campaign contributions. If my Republican colleagues want to write a bill to overturn a decision by the Supreme Court, turn science on its head, increase our dependence on foreign oil, and put the interests of big polluters above taxpayers, they should at least come up with a catchier title, like the ``Make Smog in America Act'' or the ``National Hot Air Distribution Act.'' If my Republican colleagues want to write a bill to guarantee that more American children get sick with asthma, maybe they could call it the ``Take Your Child to the Emergency Room Act.'' Really, anything else would do. ____________________
