Political Quotes

“Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. I just want to touch on a couple of things. First of all, you can tell we're into October and Halloween is coming because all the scare tactics are out and on display. We heard several things from the last speaker, and since I'm from the State of Oregon, I want to point out, he mentioned that the biggest polluter of mercury in Oregon is the cement kiln. Why is that? Because we only have one coal plant and it's being closed. So that's it. The cement factory in Durkee, Oregon, which is in my district, a county of 16,000, 3 years ahead of any of these rules invested $20 million in the latest, most advanced technology to remove their pollutants, reduce their emissions, $20 million, they reduced their emissions by 90 percent, and what this rule would do, the MACT rule under consideration here that we're trying to delay and bring common sense to, it would put them out of business, because they're already using the maximum achievable control technology that is available in the world. They've reduced their emissions by over 90 percent on a consistent basis. There isn't technology available to go further, because the limestone found behind this plant that's been in operation for, I don't know, 30 or 40 years, happens to have a little higher level of mercury. The Clean Air Act would allow the EPA to create a subcategory. They chose not to.…”