[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 27 (Friday, February 18, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E318-E319]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             FULL-YEAR CONTINUING APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2011

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                          HON. MAZIE K. HIRONO

                               of hawaii

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, February 17, 2011

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under

[[Page E319]]

     consideration the bill (H.R. 1) making appropriations for the 
     Department of Defense and the other departments and agencies 
     of the Government for the fiscal year ending September 30, 
     2011, and for other purposes:

  Ms. HIRONO. Mr. Chair, I rise in opposition to this amendment 
introduced by Congressman Ted Poe. This amendment would prevent the 
Environmental Protection Agency from enforcing common-sense protections 
against carbon dioxide pollution and other greenhouse gases from big 
polluters.
  The underlying legislation, H.R. 1, is replete with provisions like 
this. Instead of eliminating tax breaks for the oil and gas industries 
and choosing to adhere to the scientific evidence that carbon pollution 
is changing the climate and endangering our health and the environment, 
the Republican majority's continuing resolution slashes EPA's funding 
by almost a third and prohibits EPA from enforcing existing greenhouse 
gas monitoring and reporting requirements. The bill attacks the Clean 
Air Act directly so that EPA will be prevented from protecting public 
health and fighting climate change.
  The Clean Air Act has a proven 40-year track record of cutting 
dangerous pollution to protect human health in a cost-effective manner 
that spurs innovation. According to EPA, the Clean Air Act prevented an 
estimated 843,000 asthma attacks, 18 million cases of respiratory 
illness among children, 672,000 cases of chronic bronchitis, 21,000 
cases of heart disease, and 200,000 premature deaths.
  The Clean Air Act continues to reduce air pollution and improve the 
health of children, seniors, and adults: the Clean Air Act has 
decreased lead emissions from cars by 95 percent, decreasing by 86 
percent the number of children whose development is affected by lead 
exposure; by requiring all new diesel engines to be more than 90 
percent cleaner, EPA will prevent more than 21,000 premature deaths and 
$160 billion in health costs every year by 2030; by phasing out the 
most dangerous ozone-depleting chemicals, EPA will cut the American 
incidences of non-melanoma skin cancer by 295 million by 2075; by 
launching the acid rain program, EPA has dramatically reduced soot and 
smog by levels that will reduce premature deaths by between 20,000 and 
50,000 per year in 2010.
  Since its enactment in 1970, the health benefits of the Clean Air Act 
have far outweighed industry's compliance costs, reducing toxic and 
health-threatening air pollutants by 60 percent while at the same time 
the economy grew by over 200 percent.
  Now this legislation attempts to gut the Clean Air Act's pollution 
standards and repeal EPA's authority to limit health-threatening 
pollution in order to protect the profits of the big polluters.
  It also prevents EPA from continuing to improve our health by 
updating its pollution standards and improving safeguards for public 
health. In addition, it repeals important Clean Air Act safeguards that 
are needed to create American clean energy jobs, reduce energy costs, 
reduce our dependence on foreign oil, and increase our economic 
competitiveness.
  It's time for us to stand up for clean air and the health of the 
American people rather than work for the polluters who want to 
interfere with EPA's efforts to reduce life-threatening pollution and 
turn back the clock on air quality.
  I urge my colleagues to oppose this amendment and oppose the 
continuing resolution.

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