[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 119 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

112th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 119

   Recognizing past, present, and future public health and economic 
  benefits of cleaner air due to the successful implementation of the 
                             Clean Air Act.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 31, 2011

 Mr. Sanders (for himself, Mr. Whitehouse, Mr. Carper, Mr. Kerry, Mr. 
Reid, Mr. Harkin, Mr. Menendez, Mrs. Boxer, Ms. Cantwell, Mr. Franken, 
   Mrs. Murray, Mr. Cardin, Mr. Udall of Colorado, Mr. Udall of New 
  Mexico, Mr. Lautenberg, Mr. Bennet, Mrs. Gillibrand, Mr. Leahy, Mr. 
 Lieberman, Mr. Reed, Mr. Akaka, Mr. Inouye, Mrs. Shaheen, Mr. Durbin, 
  Mr. Bingaman, Ms. Mikulski, Mr. Coons, Mr. Schumer, Mr. Johnson of 
  South Dakota, Mrs. Feinstein, Mr. Merkley, Mr. Wyden, Mr. Nelson of 
Florida, and Mr. Blumenthal) submitted the following resolution; which 
     was referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
   Recognizing past, present, and future public health and economic 
  benefits of cleaner air due to the successful implementation of the 
                             Clean Air Act.

Whereas for more than 40 years since passing with strong bipartisan support, the 
        Clean Air Act (42 U.S.C. 7401 et seq.) has saved lives and protected 
        public health in the United States while creating jobs and enhancing 
        national security;
Whereas the Clean Air Act has saved hundreds of thousands of American lives 
        since 1970;
Whereas the Clean Air Act has helped industry in the United States lead the way 
        in creating jobs in pollution reduction technology, creating more than 
        1,000,000 jobs in the United States and a multibillion-dollar market for 
        pollution reduction technology and leading to tens of billions of 
        dollars in exports each year to other nations looking to improve their 
        own air quality, according to the Institute of Clean Air Companies and 
        The Small Business Majority;
Whereas the Clean Air Act is estimated to provide up to $40 of health and 
        economic benefits to Americans for every dollar invested;
Whereas the Clean Air Act is credited with reducing air pollution from lead, 
        carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, particulate matter, sulfur dioxide, 
        and ozone by 41 percent over the 20 years prior to the date of approval 
        of this resolution, while over the same period, gross domestic product 
        grew by 64 percent;
Whereas the Clean Air Act has protected children by reducing lead pollution in 
        the air by 92 percent since 1980, significantly reducing the number of 
        children with brain damage resulting from lead poisoning;
Whereas the protections offered by the Clean Air Act are credited with saving 
        families in the United States each year from 54,000 cases of chronic 
        bronchitis, 130,000 cases of acute bronchitis, 130,000 heart attacks, 
        1,700,000 cases of asthma exacerbation, 86,000 emergency room visits, 
        3,200,000 lost school days for children, and 13,000,000 lost work days;
Whereas the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 (Public Law 101-549; 104 Stat. 
        2399), which also passed with strong bipartisan support, saves more than 
        160,000 American lives every year, has reduced power plant sulfur 
        dioxide pollution by 64 percent and nitrogen oxides pollution by 67 
        percent, and has decreased acid rain deposits by 40 percent, all for a 
        total investment of 82 percent less than originally estimated by the 
        Federal Government;
Whereas the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 led to a phase-out by 1996 of the 
        most harmful ozone layer-depleting products, for a total investment of 
        30 percent less than originally projected by the Federal Government, 
        saving millions of Americans from skin cancer;
Whereas the Clean Air Act vehicle standards for cars, light trucks, and heavy 
        duty trucks help--

    (1) to save drivers money at the gas pump by spurring fuel efficiency 
innovation, at an estimated savings to drivers of $2,800 over the life of a 
vehicle; and

    (2) to create hundreds of thousands of new jobs while enhancing 
national security by saving an estimated 2,300,000,000 barrels of oil over 
the life of those vehicles;

Whereas there remains a need to reduce harmful pollutants under the Clean Air 
        Act, including soot- and smog-forming pollutants, mercury, lead, 
        arsenic, carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide, to avoid negative health 
        impacts on families and children that include brain damage and 
        developmental problems for unborn children and infants, heart attacks 
        and strokes, aggravated asthma attacks, lung damage, and early deaths;
Whereas according to the American Lung Association 1 in every 10 Americans lives 
        in an area with unhealthy year-round levels of fine particle pollution, 
        and 6 in every 10 Americans live in an area with unhealthy levels of 1 
        or more air pollutants; and
Whereas many of the leading medical professional and public health organizations 
        of the United States, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the 
        American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation, the 
        American College of Preventative Medicine, the American Heart 
        Association, the American Lung Association, the American Public Health 
        Association, the American Thoracic Society, the Asthma and Allergy 
        Foundation of America, the National Association of County and City 
        Health Officials, the National Physicians Alliance, the Trust for 
        America's Health, and the Children's Environmental Health Network, have 
        stated that continued successful implementation of the Clean Air Act is 
        ``quite literally a matter of life and death for tens of thousands of 
        people and will mean the difference between chronic debilitating illness 
        or a healthy life for hundreds of thousands more'': Now, therefore, be 
        it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) recognizes the health, economic, and national security 
        benefits of the Clean Air Act (42 U.S.C. 7401 et seq.);
            (2) believes that the people of the United States deserve 
        the cleanest air and healthiest lives possible;
            (3) recognizes that the Clean Air Act programs have a 
        record of providing clear short- and long-term health and 
        economic benefits that significantly exceed the initial 
        investments made in pollution reduction technology; and
            (4) supports the protection of children and families from 
        harmful pollution through continued implementation of the Clean 
        Air Act.
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