Kathy Castor: “I thank the gentleman for yielding and for his leadership on energy and clean air policy for all of America. Mr. Chair…”

“I thank the gentleman for yielding and for his leadership on energy and clean air policy for all of America. Mr. Chair, I rise in strong opposition to H.R. 4775. The Republican bill is a radical attempt to gut the Clean Air Act. The Clean Air Act has been one of our bedrock environmental laws for America since the 1970s. So for 50 years it has worked well to ensure that it protects our health while businesses thrive. It has made such a difference in our lives. I heard my good friend from Houston say he has seen the air cleaned up. The same is true in the Sunshine State of Florida. I remember those smoggy days in the late sixties and early seventies. I watched the impact of the Clean Air Act make it healthier for us to breathe, to grow up, to live healthy lives. All you have to do is look across the globe at China and India and the struggles they have with their economy because they are not able to control their pollution. The great thing about the Clean Air Act is that it is based on science. It requires the EPA every 5 years to bring scientists together and do a health check, do a check on the air quality standards all across America. Then they can--they are not required to--say: we are going to improve the air quality standards. And then they leave it up to States and stakeholders at home to determine how best to control air pollution. It has been extraordinarily effective at cleaning the air.…”