Paul Tonko: “Finally, Mr. Chairman, I include a letter signed by 121 environmental and other groups opposing the bill. March 21…”

“Finally, Mr. Chairman, I include a letter signed by 121 environmental and other groups opposing the bill. March 21, 2017. Dear Senator/Representative, on behalf of our millions of members, the undersigned 121 organizations urge you to oppose the ``Ozone Standards Implementation Act'' (H.R. 806, S. 263). The innocuous-sounding name is misleading: this legislation would actually systematically weaken the Clean Air Act without a single improvement, undermine Americans' 46-year right to healthy air based on medical science, and delay life-saving health standards already years overdue. This bill's vision of ``Ozone Standards Implementation'' eliminates health benefits and the right to truly safe air that Americans enjoy under today's law. First, the legislation would delay for ten years the right to safer air quality, and even the simple right to know if the air is safe to breathe. Corporations applying for air pollution permits would be free to ignore new ground-level ozone (aka smog) health standards during these additional ten years. For the first time the largest sources of air pollution would be allowed to exceed health standards. The bill would also outright excuse the parts of the country suffering the worst smog pollution from having backup plans if they do not reduce pollution. The most polluted parts of the country should not stop doing everything they can to protect their citizens' health and environment by cleaning up smog pollution.…”