HR 3893 - the Misnamed "Gasoline for America's Security Act of 2005"
Many of you are probably aware that the Bush administration is using the Katrina and Rita disasters to push through bad legislation bundled with relief measures.
Well, they're voting on a bad, bundled bill in 24 hours -- this Friday, in the House.
The bill (HR 3893) includes yummy treats for the oil and power industries, treats that are bad for you and me. These "industry treats" roll back environmental protections, key aspects of the Clean Air Act that will result in increased health problems.
How Does the "No Relief" Bill Vote on Friday Affect Our Health?In essence, the "No Relief" bill decimates the New Source Review program. "What's that?" (some of) you may ask. The
New Source Review program is "a key tool for cleaning up old, dirty power plants and other industrial facilities." It prevents these facilities from expanding unless they upgrade controls, equipment and systems that decrease pollution. Pollution that kicks in to our environment and results in increased health problems for humans.
UPDATE: Here's a quick way to send an email alert to your representative:
http://ga0.org/campaign/energy_3893The bill (which is styled "Gasoline for America's Security Act of 2005" in Orwellian flair) would "also delay deadlines to meet national health standards for smog in some of our most polluted cities until as late as 2019, exposing residents to unsafe levels of smog for many years to come. And the bill would derail the cleanup of the nation's diesel trucks, buses, trains, and heavy equipment that is slated to begin next summer."
Here's a bit more background on the New Source Review program. It's already been under assault by the oil and power industry, and other appendages of big business. The Bush administration has tried to transform the EPA from being a guardian of our health and welfare to a handmaiden to these corporate interests, who would rather keep old, outmoded facilities belching harmful pollutants in the air than investing in measures that would produce cleaner emissions.
The background on New Source Review:
When Congress enacted the Clean Air Act of 1970, thousands of power plants, refineries, and other facilities were emitting large volumes of various air pollutants. The act required new facilities to be equipped with the most modern and efficient pollution-control technologies available. Many existing plants were let off the hook on the theory that they would be taken out of service fairly rapidly and replaced with new, clean plants.
That didn't happen. It turned out to be cheaper, much cheaper, to keep the old plants going. Many -- upwards of 18,000 -- are still operating today, 30 years later.
The law did, however, include important provisions addressing the older plants: If and when they make changes that increase emissions, they are required to retrofit with up-to-date technologies. This is a key part of what the law calls the New Source Review program.
Industry has fought against NSR with respect to existing plants ever since the program was created. It has filed many lawsuits to challenge the program. It has simply refused to abide by it. At one point not long ago, the Environmental Protection Agency estimated that something like 80 percent of refineries were out of compliance with the law.
Finally, in the mid 'nineties, EPA began suing large industrial scofflaws and making considerable progress. The suits that have been settled so far, in aggregate, have required polluters in various states to cut emissions by millions of tons annually of nitrogen and sulfur oxides -- pollutants that cause deadly particle pollution, acid rain, and (in the case of nitrogen oxides) smog. Faced with these suits, many facilities opted to clean up rather than fight in court.
Now, however the rules have been drastically changed. In 2002 the Bush EPA rewrote the NSR rules in ways that will slow, even reverse, the progress that has been made in controlling pollution from electric utilities, refineries, chemical plants, and other "stationary sources." This attempt to weaken new source review, has been challenged in court by fourteen states, various municipalities and air pollution control agencies, and several environmental organizations.
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Here's an action alert I received yesterday morning:
Dear [njgoldfinch],
Last month Hurricane Katrina ripped through Louisiana and Mississippi, killing hundreds of Americans and destroying thousands of homes and lives. This devastating natural disaster also exposed a serious underlying problem -- America is far too dependent on oil. As the cost of fuel continues to skyrocket, some members of Congress have exploited this tragedy by compiling an oil industry wish-list of environmental rollbacks and calling it an emergency energy bill.
But this bill would do nothing to solve our energy problems or help consumers cope with rising energy costs. The House of Representatives will vote on this "No Relief" bill in just 48 hours. Please don't wait -click here to send a free message to your Representative urging him or her to reject this bill!
In a time of crisis, American families should be protected, not exploited and exposed to further risks. This bill uses the recent natural disasters as a pretext to advance a longstanding industry agenda to roll back key Clean Air Act protections.
The consequences would be devastating in communities across the country: more asthma attacks, more heart attacks, and other serious health problems from millions of additional tons of air pollution. The bill also contains new handouts to the oil industry, even as oil companies are reporting record profits, and it actually weakens enforcement provisions of the Federal Trade Commission Act by limiting penalties for price gouging.
We have no time to spare - this bill will be voted on in the house this Friday, October 7! Please click here now to send your message to your Representative today.
Now more than ever, America deserves clean energy solutions that will help all of us cope with the rising cost of energy. We need your help to get the word out about this dangerous legislation. Please forward this message to at least ten friends urging them to take action before the vote on Friday!
Thanks so much for your help!
Katelyn Sabochik
Online Campaign Manager
info@saveourenvironment.org
The Bush administration, the Republican party and the oil and power industries that it favors at the expense of national security, national health and the welfare of its citizens have had these hard-won pieces of legislation in their gun sights for a long time. Good, protective legislation like the Clean Air Act, the New Source Review program, the Endangered Species Act.
Earlier in the week, the House passed a dumb, dangerous and scientifically unsound bill that decimates the Endangered Species Act. In 24 hours, the House will be holding a vote on a bill that takes aim at the Clean Air Act and the New Source Review.
Please call your representatives (and your senators, for good measure) to let them know that bad legislation can't sneak in on the coatails of relief efforts.
To find the telephone number of your representative:
http://clerk.house.gov/members/index.html
To find the telephone number of your senator:
http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm