Political Quotes

“Mr. Chair, my list of concerns with H.R. 4775 are many, but one of the main issues I have with this legislation is that it would permanently weaken the Clean Air Act as well as future air pollution health standards for all criteria pollutants. In fact, Mr. Chair, in addition to delaying scientifically based health standards and harming the public interest, this bill may also have unintended consequences for the very industries that the majority is trying to help. If enacted, this bill may actually slow down the issuance of preconstruction permits, increase regulatory uncertainty, lead to additional lawsuits, and shift the burden of pollution control from new sources to existing ones, potentially hurting small businesses. Mr. Chair, section 3(d) requires the EPA to issue rules and guidance for implementing new or revised National Ambient Air Quality Standards ``concurrently'' when issuing the new standard. Otherwise, under this legislation, expanding facilities would only have to comply with the outdated standards, allowing some facilities to pollute more than their fair share. This bill, Mr. Chair, would also unfairly shift the burden and the cost of cleaning up pollution to existing facilities, and it would only serve to slow down the preconstruction permitting process. My amendment, Mr. Chair, seeks to address many of the problems that may result from this bill, both intentionally and unintentionally.…”