The House Republicans want to go backward to neutered, the George Bush EPA. For the sake of our health and our childrens’ health, we can’t let that happen.
Republicans in Congress are introducing legislation to curtail the role of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in regulating greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act and to prevent and roll back regulations intended to reduce air pollution such as mercury emissions from cement plants. LINK
Republican Congresswoman Marcia Blackburn from Tennessee wants to exempt greenhouse gases from the Clean Air Act. The bill, H.R. 97: Free Industry Act, is co-sponsored by 46 78 Republicans and one Democrat.
Of course, the Big Gas Mafia is behind it.
The American Petroleum Institute, representing more than 450 oil and gas companies, takes the position that, “The Clean Air Act was never intended to be used to regulate stationary source greenhouse gas emissions.”
Co-sponsors:
The League of Conservation Voters warns:
There’s anew class of stridently anti-environment members of Congress — taking their cues from Big Oil and the Tea Party and determined to undermine public health. At the top of their agenda in the 112th Congress? Radically undermine the EPA’s efforts to protect our families from deadly pollution, like mercury, arsenic, smog and carbon dioxide.
One of those members – Rep. Fred Upton – is the new chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Upton – who was recently spotted sitting in the front row at an oil industry sponsored event – is now leading the charge to give corporate polluters free reign to pollute the air we breathe.
Unfortunately, Upton isn’t alone. This past November, over 30 anti-environment Tea Partiers won their races, with stridently anti-environment leaders like Sarah Palin leading the charge.
And now, backed by Big Oil, inspired by Palin, and promoted by Fox News, these anti-environment members are out to cripple the EPA, weaken laws that protect us from toxic chemicals, and remove public health standards.
And this is how and why we end up with elected officials who only care about corporate interests: (from email, no link)
PORTER REAPS $181,000 IN LATE-TRAIN DONATIONS
Harold Simmons, Clayton Williams are the largest benefactors for the new Railroad Commissioner.
Newly elected Railroad Commissioner David Porter raised more than $181,000 in late-train contributions, which is more than he had raised in any single reporting period during the 2010 campaign.
According to the report filed yesterday with the Texas Ethics Commission, which covered the period from late October until the fundraising moratorium triggered by the 2011 legislative session, Porter raised several huge chunks from energy industry sources, both from personal and from political action committee contributors.
We need public funded elections.
About Sharon Wilson
Sharon Wilson is considered a leading citizen expert on the impacts of shale oil and gas extraction. She is the go-to person whether it’s top EPA officials from D.C., national and international news networks, or residents facing the shock of eminent domain and the devastating environmental effects of natural gas development in their backyards.
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Anonymous says
Not surprising to see Burgess on this list. He is a sorry character, suffers from asthma and sees no point in ensuring clean air. Did he not send some letter to the Texas congress feigning fake concern? I guess you can see his true colors now.
Anonymous says
This is a bunch of bullshit and those listed here need to be held accountable over the long-term for ignoring those they truly represent, the effects their actions will have on those they should be representing and their children, and for failing to represent their People.
This is not normally my tone, but you have got to be kidding me. I drive home every day and see the air quality around my home deteriorate on almost a weekly basis. I can actually see the haze in a very rural part of Texas, where there was no low lying haze before. Apparently the TCEQ won’t take action until we can no longer see or breathe. The TRC, why waste your time because their only concern is if the operator is “wasting product” not on your family’s health or safety. Finally, the EPA step in to establish, at the very least, reason amidst the rampant corruption and greed taking place in Texas at the price of our belief in this County, property rights, property values, and our health (yes that is important too).
Shame on all of those listed here.
Our Declaration of Independence states:
When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights,that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. –That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.
What would our Forefathers think about the rights of surface owners vs. mineral right owners as it pertains to our rights to life (life includes health), liberty (liberty includes property rights), and the pursuit of happiness (happiness includes knowing that an operator/mineral right owner isn’t allowed to poison your children or their children in the future in the pursuit of greed)?
Our health has an impact on the pursuit of Life doesn’t it?
What would our Forefathers think about the level of pollution generated from corporate/mineral right owner greed as it pertains to our rights as the People too life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness?
I try to imagine our Forefathers sitting in a room, praying before every meeting, and then deliberating on how many cases of childhood Leukemia are acceptable for the benefit of the few (companies/mineral right owners), and I just can’t picture it.
I don’t think this is what they meant.
TXsharon says
Amen, Sister!