[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 36 (Thursday, March 10, 2011)]
[House]
[Pages H1669-H1670]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
DIRTY AIR
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from
Tennessee (Mr. Cohen) for 1 minute.
Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to Chairman Upton's
dirty air act.
[[Page H1670]]
In 2007, the Supreme Court issued the Massachusetts v. EPA decision,
directing the EPA to examine greenhouse gas emissions and their impact
on the public health. EPA conducted a highly credible, peer-reviewed
scientific analysis under the Bush EPA and the Obama EPA, both
concluding that greenhouse gases harm our health.
This was not a political analysis; it was a scientific analysis. But
that has not stopped the chairman from trying to legislatively
undermine scientific fact. According to the EPA, President Nixon's
Clean Air Act will prevent 230,000 premature deaths and result in $2
trillion in economic benefits in 2020.
But, Chairman Upton has decided, with much help from corporate
polluters' lobbyists, that the fiscal and physical well-being of the
American people are less important than Big Oil's importance and Big
Oil's billion dollar bottom line next quarter.
The bottom line for America is that undermining EPA science will cost
trillions.
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