Political Quotes

“Madam Chair, it is absolutely untenable that there are currently no federally enforceable regulations specific to coal ash. This lack of federally enforceable safeguards is what led to the disaster in Tennessee, where a dam holding more than 1 billion gallons of toxic coal ash failed. This spill destroyed 300 acres, dozens of homes, killed fish and other wildlife, and poisoned the Emory and Clinch Rivers. Living near an unlined coal ash waste pond and drinking water contaminated with arsenic can be more dangerous than smoking a pack of cigarettes a day, according to a risk assessment done by the EPA. People living near unlined coal ash ponds where water is contaminated by arsenic and ash is mixed with coal refuse have an extremely high risk of cancer, up to 1 in 50. This is 2000 times greater than EPA's acceptable cancer risk. So, we can burn coal, creating sodium, thallium, mercury, boron, aluminum and arsenic which is pumped out of the factory and into the air. Or, we can stop stripping our land, polluting our air and waters and do what's right. The first step is to establish comprehensive, federally enforceable safeguards that protect human health, wildlife, and the environment. The measure we consider today fails to establish a national legal standard for coal ash. The bill also places significant limits on the ability of the EPA to conduct an independent review of state programs. When it comes to matters of public health there are no such things as good compromises.…”