[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 91 (Thursday, June 23, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1173]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 JOBS AND ENERGY PERMITTING ACT OF 2011

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                         HON. LAURA RICHARDSON

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 22, 2011

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 2021) to 
     amend the Clean Air Act regarding air pollution from Outer 
     Continental Shelf activity:

  Ms. RICHARDSON. Madam Chair, I rise in opposition to H.R. 2021, the 
incorrectly named Jobs and Energy Permitting Act of 2011, which, aside 
from creating no jobs, merely permits major offshore oil companies to 
skirt reasonable clean-air standards, leading to greater health hazards 
and a poisoned environment for my constituents in California and others 
living on America's coastlines.
  Under the Clean Air Act of 1990, large, offshore projects that emit 
more than 250 tons of an air pollutant are subject to pre-construction 
air pollution permits, just like any on-shore installation, such as a 
factory. Oil rigs and their support ships are subject to regulations 
based on the amount of pollution they distribute into the air and the 
surrounding ocean.
  H.R. 2021 declares that pollution regulations shall apply ``solely 
with respect to the impacts in the corresponding onshore area.'' This 
means that the ocean and all the area from the oil rig to the breakers 
will not be properly taken into account when a company prepares its 
environmental impact reports. Near-shore areas with extensive human 
activity such as fishing and boating sites will not matter. Companies 
will be regulated according to how much they pollute at long distances, 
allowing them to pump more toxins into the air.
  We all know that air pollution contributes to adverse health effects 
and environmental degradation. Nowhere is this more obvious than in my 
home state of California where toxic air pollution is consistently 
linked to cancer and birth defects. According to the Environmental 
Protection Agency, the City of Los Angeles, where my 37th Congressional 
District is located, has some of the highest levels of cancer-related 
toxic air pollutants in the country. The Clean Air Act itself was a 
direct response to the issues of air quality in major American cities 
such as Los Angeles, and I cannot support a bill that undoes efforts 
which have improved the quality of life for so many of my constituents.
  As a member of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure 
representing a major port city, I authored the Diesel Emissions 
Reduction Act, DERA, of 2010, which was passed in the 111th Congress. 
DERA provides economic incentives to retrofit commercial diesel 
engines, making them cleaner and more efficient without threatening 
trade. Instead of letting offshore drillers pollute more, we should 
focus on technologies and procedures that lessen their environmental 
impact.
  I believe that, in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon disaster, 
offshore oil drillers should be held to the highest standards. To this 
end, I will soon introduce the Securing Health for Ocean Resources and 
Environment, SHORE, Act, which will ensure that offshore drilling 
operations prepare comprehensive disaster mitigation and clean-up plans 
before they ever begin operations.
  Under H.R 2021, the weak regulations the Republicans are attempting 
to establish would not even be in effect until ``the period between 
when drilling commences at a location and when drilling ends at that 
location.'' Support vessels, which produce the majority of emissions at 
these sites, would not have to apply any pollution controls or be 
factored into environmental impact statements. These provisions will 
effectively prevent the EPA and state authorities from addressing 
serious sources of pollution from offshore oil and gas sites.
  In addition to recklessly cutting critical safeguards to air 
pollutants, this legislation will remove any authority for EPA's 
Environmental Appeals Board to review permit decisions for offshore 
exploration activities. Stakeholders who wish to challenge an EPA 
permit would have to do so through costly litigation through the DC 
Circuit Court of Appeals. Furthermore, it cuts down the time allotted 
for public review and places similar time constraints on state and 
local hearing boards.
  In summary, this destructive bill would remove basic safeguards to 
toxic pollutants and restrict procedures used to challenge oil 
companies who drill in sensitive areas. There are similar operations 
going on just off shore from my district, and I cannot tell my 
constituents that I sat idly by while Congress allowed more toxic 
substances to fill our air and threaten our environment. I urge my 
colleagues to vote for the health of the American people and oppose 
this legislation.

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