Tom Udall: “I also, as my colleague Senator Whitehouse did, wish to thank the chairman, Barbara Boxer, for her hard work and her…”

“I also, as my colleague Senator Whitehouse did, wish to thank the chairman, Barbara Boxer, for her hard work and her leadership to protect our air and our public health on this crucial vote that is going to come up later this month. I rise in opposition to the resolution of disapproval that we expect Senator Inhofe to offer. This resolution would permanently block the EPA from reducing mercury and toxic pollution from powerplants in the United States. The standard is called the Maximum Achievable Control Technology standard or Utility MACT. By blocking this standard, this resolution is bad for public health. This resolution is also bad for America's natural gas producers. This resolution is especially bad for electric utilities that did the right thing and followed the law. Environmental protection should be a bipartisan issue. Republicans and Democrats both passed the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, and other environmental laws by wide margins. I urge both parties not to support this resolution. Here are some key points on the public health issues that are before us when this resolution comes to the floor: The Environmental Protection Agency estimates this standard will save 4,000 to 11,000 lives per year by reducing toxic pollution. The EPA also estimates this standard will prevent nearly 5,000 heart attacks and 130,000 childhood asthma attacks. Mercury is a powerful neurotoxin. It is mostly a threat to pregnant women and young children.…”