Sanford Bishop: “I ask the House to support my colleagues from Georgia and vote in favor of this amendment. Mr. Chairman, the EPA's new…”

“I ask the House to support my colleagues from Georgia and vote in favor of this amendment. Mr. Chairman, the EPA's new standards could potentially triple the number of counties nationwide in violation of the Clean Air Act. Chattahoochee County, in my congressional district, could possibly be one of those counties impacted by the new national ambient air quality standards. Mr. Chairman, Chattahoochee County is not an industrial county. It is a small poor rural county that is trying to build its economic base. EPA's new standards, no matter how well intentioned, could seriously damage this effort. Last year, the United States Court of Appeals ruled that EPA's standards are legally unenforceable. The Supreme Court announced that they would consider EPA's appeal and all the arguments involved. Due to this legal uncertainty, I truly believe that the EPA should delay further implementation of the standards in order to allow time for the Supreme Court to rule on the pending appeal. Mr. Chairman, if the Supreme Court upholds the Court of Appeals and does rule that the new standards are unconstitutional, our States and our local communities will have spent tax dollars to comply with illegal requirements and will have nothing to show for their investment in a federally mandated process. That is why I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of this amendment.”