[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 35 (Thursday, March 15, 2001)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2411-S2412]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. JEFFORDS (for himself, Mr. Lieberman, Ms. Collins, Mr. 
        Schumer, Ms. Snowe, Mrs. Feinstein, Mr. Leahy, Mrs. Clinton, 
        Mr. Kerry, Mr. Dodd, Mr. Torricelli, Mr. Corzine, Mr. Kennedy, 
        Mr. Reed, and Mrs. Boxer):
  S. 556. A bill to amend the Clean Air Act to reduce emissions from 
electric powerplants, and for other purposes; to the Committee on 
Environment and Public Works.
  Mr. JEFFORDS. Mr. President, today I am here to announce the 
introduction of the Clean Power Act of 2001 which reduces emissions 
from power plants of the four primary air pollutants. These four 
pollutants, nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, mercury, and carbon 
dioxide are the major cause of the nation's most serious public health 
and environmental problems: smog, soot, acid rain, mercury 
contamination, and global warming. The Clean Power Act set standards 
for these four serious pollutants that are both cost-effective and 
technologically feasible.
  The 1970 Clean Air Act, and its subsequent amendments, were enacted 
to improve the quality of our nation's air. This was a major milestone 
in environmental legislation. I was proud to be one of the principle 
negotiators of the 1990 amendments to the Clean Air Act. Those were 
important steps to take to improve the quality of our Nation's air and 
since that time we have made significant headway in that direction. 
Although current legislation sets standards for nitrogen oxides and 
sulfur dioxide, they are at levels that we now know are far too high to 
protect us from the devastating effects of resulting smog, acid rain, 
and increased respiratory disease. Currently, there is no standard for 
carbon dioxide pollution, the primary greenhouse gas responsible for 
global warming, and no standard for mercury emissions, a dangerous 
pollutant linked to cognitive and developmental ailments in children 
and responsible for fish advisories in forty states. Therefore, there 
is still much to be done to protect the quality of our nation's air and 
now is the time to take the next step.
  Electric generating power plants are our nation's single largest 
source of air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. Annual power 
plants emissions are responsible for 64 percent of the nation's sulfur 
dioxide, or 13 million tons, 26 percent of the nitrogen oxides, or 6 
million tons, 40 percent of the carbon dioxide, that's over 2 billion 
tons, and 52 tons of mercury.
  Updating electric power plants represent the most cost-effective way 
to reduce emissions of nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide. Many of the 
most polluting power plants were exempt from stringent controls imposed 
by the original Clean Air Act and today, after more than 30 years, they 
are still in use. As a result, these outdated power plants can emit 
between 10 and 100 times the amount of nitrogen oxides and sulfur 
dioxide pollution emitted by a modern power plant.
  Sulfur dioxide fine particle pollution for U.S. power plants cuts 
short the lives of over 30,000 people each year. Ground-level ozone 
smog triggers over 6.2 million asthma attacks each summer in the 
eastern United States alone; another 160,000 people are sent to the 
emergency room and 53,000 are hospitalized due to smog induced 
respiratory distress. The National Academy of Sciences' National 
Research Council has concluded that over 60,000 children are born in 
the U.S. each year at risk for adverse neurodevelopmental effects due 
to in utero exposure to mercury. Over forty states have issued fish 
consumption advisories to mitigate this threat. Power plants are our 
nation's largest unregulated source of mercury emissions.
  Fortunately, we now have technologies available that will permit

[[Page S2412]]

power plants to reach the levels set in the Clean Power Act. The 
nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide and mercury reductions are set at 
levels in the Clean Power Act that are known to be cost effective with 
available technologies. The Clean Power Act will allow power plants to 
use market-oriented mechanisms in order to reach these much needed 
emissions standards for nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide and carbon 
dioxide. Therefore, with new technologies at our disposal and trading 
mechanisms providing flexibility to the utilities, we no longer need to 
compromise the health of our great nation; neither it's citizens nor 
it's environment. We only need the will to act.
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