Frank Pallone: “I have heard my Republican colleagues say over and over again that the President's Clean Power Plan won't have any…”

“I have heard my Republican colleagues say over and over again that the President's Clean Power Plan won't have any impact on air quality and that it won't do anything to improve the environment. Nothing could be further from the truth. The rule that we are discussing in this joint resolution and that the joint resolution would seek to disapprove establishes State-by-State targets for lowering carbon emissions. When it is implemented, the rule will reduce emissions from the power sector by 32 percent over the next 15 years as compared to emissions in 2005. The final rule has public health and other benefits of up to $54 billion per year by 2030, and this includes thousands of fewer premature deaths from air pollution and tens of thousands of fewer childhood asthma attacks each year--emphasizing again, thousands of fewer premature deaths from air pollution and tens of thousands of fewer childhood asthma attacks each year. I keep hearing from my GOP colleagues about the costs. What are the costs to society of air pollution and of people suffering from asthma and of premature deaths and of hospitalizations and of all of the costs? None of these things are calculated by the Republicans in their speeches. They just assume that somehow none of this matters.…”