JOHN LINDER: “I think the crocodile tears the gentleman from New York has for the number of hospital admissions must come from a bad…”

“I think the crocodile tears the gentleman from New York has for the number of hospital admissions must come from a bad dream, because the EPA said to the court there is no way for us to quantify the health statistics with their new rule. The EPA wants to move forward with designating areas, and the gentleman says that is not going to hurt anyone. But let me tell my colleagues what happens when designations are made. Highway funds stop under the Clean Air Act. Yes, highway funds stop, not because of enforcement but because of designation. Fewer loans are extended to businesses. A mountain of lawsuits from environmental groups, who are now given standing, are filed against States and localities. Many more thousands of dollars are spent by States and localities to comply with the designation process, not the enforcement process. News articles labeling regions as polluted, using standards that are unenforceable, will occur, and businesses moving or expanding will go elsewhere. Finally, an effective designation triggers a conformity process under the Clean Air Act. That clearly means hundreds of billions of dollars in highway funds lost. This is real. The EPA ought to abide by the court decision.”