[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 45 (Thursday, March 31, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2052-S2053]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

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  SENATE RESOLUTION 119--RECOGNIZING PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE PUBLIC 
   HEALTH AND ECONOMIC BENEFITS OF CLEANER AIR DUE TO THE SUCCESSFUL 
                  IMPLEMENTATION OF THE CLEAN AIR ACT

  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:

                              S. Res. 119

       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

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     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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