Cord Byrd: “Today I voted in favor of the Edwards amendment requiring a 6-month delay in four New Source Review, NSR, rules so that…”

“Today I voted in favor of the Edwards amendment requiring a 6-month delay in four New Source Review, NSR, rules so that a study by the National Academy of Sciences, NAS, could be carried out. I support a commonsense approach to making air quality improvements while also increasing our economic growth. I have long been a supporter of the steel, coal, chemical, forestry, and other interests in my State. Still, the Edwards amendment, requiring a short 6-month delay with a study regarding the health and environmental impacts of these four rules, was imperative in my mind. Evidence of this administration's intransigence is ubiquitous across the many agencies. Congress has the right and responsibility to get important information in order to make more informed decisions. A better understanding of the health and environmental impacts of these new rules is an important part of that decisionmaking process. When the Clean Air Act was amended in 1977, Congress established the NSR program to prevent serious deterioration in the Nation's air quality.”