[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 45 (Thursday, March 31, 2011)]
[House]
[Pages H2114-H2115]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    H.R. 910, THE ``DIRTY AIR ACT''

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
the Virgin Islands (Mrs. Christensen) for 5 minutes.
  Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Madam Speaker, I rise to speak out against the GOP 
energy agenda and H.R. 910, the Dirty Air Act.
  While consumers around the Nation, including my district of the 
Virgin Islands, are struggling to make ends meet amidst the rising cost 
of energy, our colleagues across the aisle are shamelessly using scare 
tactics to cripple EPA's regulatory authority and gut the Clean Air 
Act.
  H.R. 910, the Energy Tax Prevention Act, or more appropriately, the 
Dirty Air Act, will reverse generations of scientific advancement and 
does nothing to protect the everyday American. In fact, the legislation 
outright denies the science that clearly demonstrates that greenhouse 
gases are injurious to health and that they accelerate global warming. 
This is science that the Congress has paid for.
  The Academy of Sciences, a committee of many of the world's leading 
climate scientists and others, make the indisputable health link that 
these gases are injurious to our health. So I want to speak out against 
that agenda. As the President has recently said, we have got to work 
together to secure America's energy future.
  The only ones who benefit from this legislation will be those who 
already benefit, Wall Street oil speculators and Big Oil allies here in 
Congress. This is nothing more than polluted politics. The American 
people deserve better. Let's save American jobs, invest in the green 
economy, and ensure a clean, not a dirty, future for the children of 
tomorrow.
  Madam Speaker, I rise to speak out against the GOP energy agenda and 
H.R. 910, the Dirty Air Act. While consumers around the Nation, 
including my district of the Virgin Islands, are struggling to make 
ends meet amidst the rising cost of energy, our colleagues across the 
aisle are shamelessly using scare tactics to cripple EPA's regulatory 
authority and gut the Clean Air Act.
  H.R. 910, the Energy Tax Prevention Act or more appropriately, the 
``Dirty Air Act'' will reverse generations of scientific advancement 
and does nothing to protect the everyday American.
  In fact the legislation outright denies the science that clearly 
demonstrates that greenhouse gases are injurious to health and that 
they accelerate global warming. This is science that this Congress paid 
for. The Academy of Science, a committee of many of the world's leading 
climate scientists and others make the indisputable health link, not 
the EPA

[[Page H2115]]

administrator, yet the Republicans think they know better, or at least 
want the public to think so.
  Well I live in a place with very high GHG emissions from both our oil 
refinery and public utility and we are seeing increases in asthma and 
the severity of it, even deaths, as well as of certain cancers. They 
cannot tell my constituents that those gases are not harming our 
health. My constituents and I believe all Americans want them 
regulated, we want to be healthy and we want our children's health to 
be protected. These gases must be regulated for the benefit of this and 
future generations.
  The gases are clearly linked to respiratory and other diseases. All 
who study the impact of global temperature rise, using sound science, 
predict not only an increase in respiratory diseases but also heart 
disease and others.
  This legislation is not the only attack on regulations that seek to 
reduce negative impacts on our health or slow down climate change and 
prevent us from starting the new green revolution that will create jobs 
and revitalize communities and our economy. All of the Republican CRs 
include cuts that would hinder EPA from implementing regulations that 
protect our health. We must not make cuts that destroy our ability to 
protect our health and our environment
  Without a doubt, the only ones to benefit from H.R. 910 and the 
Republican cuts will be those who already benefit--Wall Street oil 
speculators and big oil allies here in Congress. As the President said 
recently, ``We've got to work together to secure America's energy 
future.'' H.R. 910 is not a step in the right direction. This is 
nothing more than polluted politics. The American people deserve 
better. Let's save American jobs, invest in the green economy and 
ensure a clean--not dirty future for the children of tomorrow.

                          ____________________